The Viking Samurai
by cjupsher
Summary: Sequel to Hiccup's Journey to Japan: Six years after his dissaperance, Hiccup returns from Japan as a full fledged samurai for all he has done for the shogun. No longer a meek boy, but a deadly warrior he arrives just when an old enemy of Berk returns. Can Hiccup use his newfound skills to save his people. Can he forgive them for all they did to him? Hiccstrid Do not own HTTYD
1. Chapter 1

**Berk**

Berk, a small island in the barbaric archipelago and home to the Hairy Hooligan tribe. Led by their wise and strong leader, Stoick the Vast, the Hooligans thrived on their little island. However, unlike most Vikings tribes that inhabited the archipelago's waters, they lived a little differently. The tribe had some very interesting pets. While other places had dogs or parrots, the Hooligans had…dragons.

But the Hooligans' way of life was only about six years old. For centuries the Hooligans had been at war with the dragons and endeavored to kill any on sight. What caused such a change to occur between mortal enemies? It was a young man. A boy by the name of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. He was the son of their chief. Once treated as an outcast for being so different he changed their way of thinking by befriending their enemy. Together with his Night Fury, he alone defeated the monster that had been forcing the dragons to attack Berk for years. The giant monster known as the Red Death.

But while the defeat of the Red Death had resulted in their new way of life, it wasn't without consequences. Hiccup hadn't been seen since the battle with great beast. He had disappeared and no trace of him had been found for six years. Many of the Hooligans believed that the young man and his dragon had perished when the Red Death had collided with the ground and its body exploded in a huge fireball. But a few held onto the small hope that he was still alive. That someday he would return.

One person was his father. Stoick the Vast had changed his view on dragons after seeing his son battle the Red Death to save his people. He saw that the dragons weren't the coldblooded and heartless demons that his people had always thought them to be. They were capable of compassion, understanding, bonding, and mercy. Stoick's heart bore a heavy burden of guilt and sorrow due to his son's disappearance. He felt bad for the way he had treated his son all those years. He had deemed him weak, useless, and strange. And in an unforgivable act he had banished and disowned his son. Yet despite all of that, he had saved them.

In honor of his son's bravery, Stoick had allowed the dragons to live among his people. They wouldn't be hunted or killed unless it was deemed as an absolute last resort. It had been a tough road to achieve the peace and stability with their old enemy, but thanks to the efforts of Astrid Hofferson, head of Berk's dragon academy, and her friends they had persevered and were thriving alongside their scaly companions.

Stoick swore to himself that he would never cast the dragons out. They would always be welcome on his island. And he prayed to the gods that one day his son would be returned to him. That he would see how much he had changed and forgive him for all the mistakes he had made as a father.

* * *

Astrid Hofferson was standing at the edge of a cliff as she watched the sunset. She released a sigh as she thought back to a few minutes ago when her parents once again were trying to pressure her into finding a husband. Astrid had been lucky enough to avoid being married off due to her responsibilities to the dragon academy and ensuring that the dragons didn't burn the village down. But every year her parents got pushier about the subject. It's not that she didn't want to marry someday. She was just waiting for the right person. And by the right person, she meant Hiccup.

Astrid was one of the few people to believe that Hiccup was still alive. That he was somewhere out in the world doing who knows what. She had prayed to the gods to let her see him once again. So she could tell him how sorry she was for the way she treated him all for all those years. So she could tell him that he had stolen her heart from her ever since the day he took her on that world changing flight. That there hadn't been anyone else she had thought about for all these years.

A nudge from behind her drew her from her thoughts of Hiccup. With a smile she turned around to meet the concerned eyes of Stormfly, her Deadly Nadder. She knew Stormfly was trying to cheer her up by seeking some attention. "Hey girl, sorry about that," she said to the dragon while raising a hand up to rub her snout. Stormfly purred at her rider's attention and gave an inquisitive squawk.

Astrid sighed. "Yeah. My parents again. I don't understand why I need to get married so soon," she told Stormfly. Astrid often spoke to Stormfly like this. Astrid had never been the person to share her feeling and thoughts, but when she needed to Stormfly was always there to listen. Stormfly cocked her head to the side as Astrid pressed on. "I mean it's not like it was before. I get why marrying young was important back then because we were still at war with you guys and we could die any day. But things are different now," she said with a scowl.

Despite a few run-ins with people trying to steal the secrets to dragon taming and riding Berk had seen a relatively peaceful six years. While Alvin the Treacherous, the Outcasts, Dagur the Deranged, and the Berserkers had been problems, Berk had fought them off countless times with their dragons and some quick thinking. Though they still had the occasional skirmish with the Outcasts, Dagur had been usurped by his sister and banished from the Berserker tribe. No one had heard from him for years but there were whispers that he had formed a new tribe and was Hel bent on taking revenge on Berk.

The Hooligans were pretty confident that they could handle whatever he could throw at them however. With a final sigh Astrid prepared to head home. Stormfly could sense her rider's intention and lowered herself as she waited for her rider to climb on. Astrid gazed at the setting sun and marveled at the beauty. Her thoughts returned to Hiccup. She wondered what he was doing now. She wondered what kind of person he had become after all these years. She wondered why he hadn't come back to Berk. Back to her.

"Where are you Hiccup?" she whispered wistfully into the wind.

* * *

**First chapter to the sequel to Hiccup's Journey to Japan. Hope it catches your interest. On a side note i want to sound board off some new fanfics ideas with someone.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ryuiji**

Thousands of miles away, across forests, mountains, deserts, and oceans was a large landmass known as Japan. In it was a kingdom ruled by a firm but fair Shogun. The Shogun governed the surrounding provinces, each of which had a feudal lord, justly and his kingdom thrived.

Walking through the halls of his palace was a young man. One of his best blacksmiths and loyal subject, his name was Ryuiji. But that was not his true name. The name the people of his land referred to him as had been a gift from the Shogun himself. He had given him his new name in commemoration of the new life the young man started in his land almost six years ago. When people saw him they could instantly see he was not from Japan. No, Ryuiji was a Viking. He had travelled to this land all those years ago and had saved them in a time of crisis.

He had arrived as a small, gangly, shy, and awkward boy but he had grown into quite the man. The boy had hit a growth spurt around his 17th birthday and had much gotten taller. Standing at 6'1, he towered over almost everyone he came across and was an imposing presence. With the Shogun's permission the boy had been allowed to train in the combat arts of the samurai. Years of the strict and rigid training had filled the gangly boy out with a toned and lean physique. His once chubby, boyish face was now the defined, stubbled, and hard jawline of a man. His auburn hair had grown over the years and he now wore them in several small braids. He had also changed in more ways than just physical. The young man was now confident, strong, outgoing, and fearless. His green eyes shined with internal strength. He walked tall and with pride at all he had accomplished in his time in Japan.

The young man was dressed in a different apparel than was commonly seen in this land. He wore a green tunic, a dark fur vest, brown legging, and leather boots. It was much like what he wore as a child only bigger, having them specially made to accommodate his growth.

Currently Ryuiji was on his way to see the Shogun. He had been summoned to his throne room for a mission and was wondering what the Shogun was going to ask of him. As he took a left to the final hallway leading into the Shogun's room, he smiled as he saw his friend walking ahead of him.

"Kyoshi," he called out in greeting.

The person in front of him turned around and smiled warmly at him. "Ah. Ryuiji, hello my friend. Have you also been summoned by the Shogun?" he asked inquisitively.

Ryuiji walked up to him and nodded in confirmation. He smiled at his friend before they started walking together. Kyoshi was Ryuiji's best (human) friend. He had met the young man when he first came to the land and together they saved his people. Kyoshi had grown into a fine samurai. Dressed in black and red armor and carrying his swords at his hip, Kyoshi was well on his way to fulfilling his life's desire. Born into a family of great generals Kyoshi was one day going to become the general of the Shogun's army. In doing that he would bring great honor to his family and his ancestors. The two had been trained together in the samurai arts and Kyoshi had helped Ryuji learn how to fight by spending countless hours serving as his sparring partner, teacher, and tutor. Ryuiji could never thank his friend enough for all he had done.

Together the young men entered the throne room and walked up to the Shogun. A few feet away from the Shogun they both lowered themselves and remained on their knees. They looked up to the Shogun and bowed their heads in respect. The Shogun was seated in front of them. At his right was his son and future Shogun, Masaru. At his left was his daughter and princess, Megumi. Standing off to the side was Kyoshi's father and the Shogun's general Daichi.

The Shogun nodded in acknowledgment. He cleared his throat before addressing the two men. *"Kyoshi, Ryuiji,"* he said looking to both of them. *"Thank you for coming,"* he said respectfully.

*"Of course my lord,"* Ryuiji replied.

*"I have a mission for you both of upmost importance,"* the Shogun revealed. *"A group of bandits in the Western province have been terrorizing the villages for weeks. I want you two to eliminate them,"* he told them firmly.

Both boys processed the Shogun's orders in silence. *"What are their crimes exactly?"* Ryuiji asked.

At his expected question, Daichi stepped forward. *"They have pillaged and murdered villagers throughout the province. They have burned crops and to the villages' women,"* Daichi didn't finish the statement.

Ryuiji heard all he needed to. With a nod he made a silent promise to do whatever needed to be done.

*"The last village attacked was Sawaka village. Check the lands around there and find them,"* the Shogun finished. *"Go,"* he ordered.

With that both men got up and turned to leave.

*"Be careful Kyoshi-kun,"* the princess said loud enough for him to hear. Both men paused and turned to look at the princess. She blushed slightly as she looked at Kyoshi. Kyoshi looked into her eyes and gave her a nod. Then he and Ryuiji continued to the door and exited the room.

They stood there for a moment before looking at each other. Ryuiji had a smirk on his face as he looked at his friend. Kyoshi noticed his smirking and it bothered him.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked in annoyance.

"Oh nothing," Ryuiji said holding his smile. "Kyoshi-kuuuuun," he said mockingly while mimicking the princess' voice.

Kyoshi flushed slightly before throwing a punch at his friend. Ryuiji deflected the punch. Kyoshi growled before throwing another. Once again Ryuiji blocked the punch before throwing one of his own. Kyoshi deflected his and soon both men were throwing light attacks in an attempt to get a blow in. After a few moments of neither of them landing a blow they stopped and chuckled at their antics. Then Kyoshi gave Ryuiji a shove before taking off in a dash. Ryuiji smiled before chasing after him.

They ran through the palace together, side by side as they made their way to a courtyard that had a low wall that separated the palace from a sheer vertical drop. The palace was built upon a mountain side and was surrounded by cliffs on all sides save for the front entrance. They sprinted without slowing their pace toward the wall. If you didn't know the men you'd think they were crazy. But they did this quite often.

With a final burst of speed they stepped onto the low wall and leapt off it. They had smiles on their faces as they fell through the air. After a second of falling they passed a hole on the cliffside that led into the cave system that ran through the mountain. They both brought their fingers to their lips and whistled, loud and shrill. A moment later two black blurs shot out of the opening and dived after them.

To Ryuiji's right he could see a black shape out of the corner of his eye. Glancing over, he smiled as he met the eyes of his scaly companion. Toothless, his loyal companion and dragon flashed him a gummy grin and warbled at him.

Toothless had stuck by Ryuiji's side ever since he came to Japan. The Night Fury had grown over the years alongside his human. With an even longer body and increased wingspan, he was nearly untouchable in the air due to his amazing speed. The dragon's shot limit and destructive power had also been increased. After observing the dragons native to this land, Ryuiji discovered that hatchling dragons would strengthen their fire by eating a special kind of grass. Dubbing it 'Stoker grass', Ryuiji began to regularly feed small amounts to Toothless. After eating it regularly over the years, the grass had strengthened Toothless' fire and pushed his shot limit to 15.

Ryuiji had improved his saddle designs for his companion over the years. The smiths of the land had amazing skills and helped him create a saddle that included lever and hand rails. The lever and added mechanisms could be used to lock the tailfin in an open position so Toothless and Ryuiji could separate and allow Toothless some limited flight on his own. Ryuiji could never find the words to express how much he cared for his companion. A sentiment the dragon shared.

To Kyoshi's left, the black shape of his own dragon was seen. He turned his head and smiled at Amakage, his own dragon. Kyoshi and Amakage met shortly after Ryuiji had arrived. The two had bonded quite well over the years and the strength of their relationship rivaled even Ryuiji and his dragon's. The two trusted each other with their lives and worked in almost perfect synch. Kyoshi would have never thought it possible to have obtained such a companion and counted him as one of his blessings. Amakage grunted at his rider in greeting before presenting his back to him.

Toothless did the same for his rider and both men slipped into their respective saddles. With a flick of the tailfin, Ryuiji pulled Toothless out of the dive while Kyoshi pulled back on Amakage's horns to pull up himself. Together, riders and dragons gained altitude as the dragons flapped their wings and got them airborne. Then the riders directed them in the direction of the Western Province. Both men were determined to accomplish the task assigned to them by the Shogun. The bandits had to pay for what they had done.

* * *

While flying on their way to the Western province, Ryuiji thought about all he had done to help this land. The Shogun had asked him to stay after the death of the Orochi, the eight headed dragon that had taken control of the dragons of this land and forced them to raid the Shogun's kingdom. The Shogun had tasked Ryuiji with helping his people learn as much about the dragons as they could. And so he did.

After the destruction of their original nest Ryuiji, with the Shogun's permission, was able to get the dragons to move into the cavern systems beneath the mountain of the palace. The caves running beneath the palace were huge and full of hot springs and the dragons loved them. The nest's king was named Raijin, the Storm God. Aptly named due to his sheer power and strength and his special ability. The dragons, when working in tandem, had the ability to create rain by drooling on clouds. Their saliva apparently attracted water and thus they could keep making a cloud bigger and bigger until it burst with rain. This was a very useful ability for the kingdom and the farmers of the land were thriving. He was a kind and benevolent leader who ensured that his flock didn't harm any humans and that the land always remained fertile.

The species of which Amakage and Raijin belonged to were called Mizuchis. After careful study, Ryuiji classified the Mizuchis as Strike class dragons due to their amazing speed, high intelligence, and destructive firepower. Over time he and Kyoshi founded the Benten corps. A squad of dragon riders. To be a Benten was now considered one of the highest honors. The squad consisted of 20 members thus far and were all the children of samurai. Ryuiji didn't particularly like the rule that only samurai could become dragon riders, but it wasn't his place to say how the Shogun ruled his people. Kyoshi was officially the captain while Ryuiji was technically his lieutenant, but really they saw each other as co-captains. Unfortunately not everyone respected Ryuiji due to the fact that he wasn't a samurai but he didn't let it get to him and made sure he made his authority on dragons known.

The Benten helped keep peace among the kingdom by patrolling its borders and acting as a police force in dealing with bandits and other disputes. Additionally they would act as messengers as delivering a message by dragon was much faster than by horseback. Plus they would uses their dragon to assist the villagers with things like farming, hunting, and construction.

Besides the Mizuchis Ryuiji had been delighted to discover that there were three other species of dragons in the land. There were the boulder class Aois. These dragon looked like longer Gronckle's and had thick powerful jaws with a massive lower jaw for crushing rocks and small wings that flapped like a hummingbird for flight. They were a squat species that were very non aggressive. Ryuiji had discovered them in a canyon and they also had a king like the Mizuchis did. The king was named Otojin or Earth God. When Ryuiji meant non aggressive he meant that you could literally walk up to one and stand right in front of it and it would ignore and walk around you before munching on some more rocks.

Then there were the highly aggressive and territorial Karyus. These were Stoker class dragons with long bodies, no hind legs, large wings, and two tails. They were ruled by the fierce and foul tempered Hojin, or Fire God, and kept to themselves in the southern region of Japan on Mount Aso. These bad boys didn't like any other dragons, or humans for that matter, entering their territory. Unless that is you were carrying mint. For whatever reason the Karyus loved the smell and taste of mint and if you gave one some it would absolutely love you.

Lastly there were the Tidal class Mandas. These dragons were long and serpent like with no wings or legs. They had fin like appendages throughout the length of the bodies and a flat tail allowing them to swim like an eel. Ryuiji had once been tasked to help the fishermen of the land stop them from attacking their ships and stealing their catch. The solution had been fairly simple. All you had to do was share some of your catch with them and they would leave you alone. They might even share some of their own catch with you and even lead you to better fishing grounds if you were lucky. Unlike the other species, these were ruled by a queen. A great long dragon with shimmering rainbow scales, Suijin, or Water God absolutely adored compliments. If you told her she was pretty and complimented the beauty of her scales she was putty in your hands and you would gain her favor. That meant her subjects wouldn't touch you and would share their catch with you anytime they saw you.

Ryuiji had written all he had learned in a book of dragons Kyoshi had helped him write. This was all so the people of Japan would better be able to understand the dragons of this land and maintain peace with them. He was proud of what he had learned. He hoped that one day the Benten corps would include the other species as currently they only consisted of Mizuchis.

As the group finally entered the borders of the western province Kyoshi pulled ahead to lead them to Sawaka village. When they got there they met up with the province's samurai who were also tracking the bandits. After some questions the samurai had been informed that the bandits were heading toward the border of the Northern Province to escape. After hearing this Ryuiji and Kyoshi immediately mounted their dragons before heading toward the border separating the Western and Northern provinces.

Within half an hour they could spy the group of bandits ahead. Pulling out a spyglass, Ryuiji attempted to determine how many members there company included.

"Looks like there about fifty of them. I say we take out a little over half of them from the air before engaging in close combat," he called out. Kyoshi gave an affirmative 'hai' in agreement before both riders directed their dragons to gain speed.

It was time for the Black Riders to make their appearance.

* * *

The bandits were making their way to the border of the Western and Northern Province. They all had smiles on their faces as they hauled their plunder. Their little group had been terrorizing the villages in this province for week and no one had put a stop to them. They always made sure to stay on the move so they wouldn't be caught and they would cross into other provinces so they couldn't be pursued.

They couldn't believe their luck with all they had been able to pillage from the villagers. Even better is that they no longer had any completion thanks to the Benten. Many bandit groups were afraid of the Benten. The samurai of the Shogun's army commanded dragons and were a scourge to bandits everywhere. But as long as they played it smart even the dragon riders couldn't do anything.

As the bandits made their way over the plains, one of them shouted as they saw the border to the Northern Province in the distance. Sweeping the horizon, they all smiled as they saw they weren't being pursued. They were going to make it. No one was going to stop them. One of them cheered and the rest of the group joined in and they cried out for a celebration later that night.

Then suddenly they went silent as they heard something. It was a faint whistling noise that emanated on the wind and cut through the air like a knife. As they continued to listen the noise got higher and louder. All at once their faces paled and dread set in as they realized what it was.

It was them. The Black Riders had come for their heads.

Suddenly the one the carts carrying their plunder exploded in a flash of blue fire. The force of the explosion sent the men and their horses nearest to it flying off in different direction. Their eyes all suddenly shifted to the sky as they looked for a dragon. Then another cart exploded and sent more of the men flying.

The leader shouted for the remaining men to make a dash on their horses for the border. As the men all urged their horses to start running in the direction of the border a crimson flash shot out of the sky and collided with the ground in front of them. A smoldering crater was left as their horses all reared up and threw their riders of before running away. Their instincts driving them to escape the predators in the sky at all costs. The men rose to their feet and began drawing the weapons. There were about 35 of them now who could still fight.

As they scanned the skies they finally saw the black dots zooming over them before circling around. It was them alright. It was the Black Riders. The giant who rode the Blue Flash and the Black Armored samurai who rode the Crimson Bolt. They were legends in Japan. The slayers of the Eight Headed Serpent. The first of the Benten and demons to bandits.

As they riders circles around to make another pass at them an arrow suddenly pierced one of the remaining men in the shoulder. He fell to the ground in pain as he clutched his bleeding shoulder in agony. Then another arrow hit another man in the chest. Then another in the neck. Then another in the eye. The men started to run and zigzag about as the arrows kept coming and hitting with deadly accuracy. Their own archers attempted to return fire but the dragons moved too quickly and were too maneuverable.

The bandits could only run about helplessly as they were being picked off. Eventually only twenty of them remained when the onslaught of arrows finally stopped. They watched as both riders dived toward the ground before pulling up at the last second and start flying toward them at blinding speeds.

The men held their weapons at the ready as they prepared to engage the demons.

* * *

Ryuiji and Kyoshi smiled to themselves as they sped towards the bandits on their companions. Their plan had worked perfectly. They managed to reduce their numbers to half just by using fire and arrows. Ryuiji had become an amazing marksman during his samurai training. And on dragon back he was a deadly opponent to have aiming at you. Beside him and Toothless, Kyoshi was holding his own bow and smiling proudly. Both men put away their bows and extended their closed fist out towards each other.

Bumping fists in victory they were preparing to pull off their favorite maneuver. As they got closer to the bandits Hiccup locked open the tailfin and slipped his feet out of the stirrups. Then he crouched low on Toothless' back and waited. Kyoshi slipped his feet out of his saddles stirrups as well and crouched low on Amakage's back. Picking out a bandit and waiting both men leapt from the saddle and at the bandits.

The bandits remained frozen in shock as the riders leapt off their dragons and straight at them. Two of them quickly realized they should have moved when they got drop kicked from the sky.

Kyoshi drop kicked a bandit in the face and sent him toppling over. Rolling over with him he quickly got to his feet and drew his Katana at his left side. In a quick motion he slashed it across the torso of a man at his left. Then taking the hilt of his sword in both hands he slashed the man across his chest in the other direction. The man cried out in pain when Kyoshi kicked him in the chest hard with enough force to send him reeling back and off his feet.

A cry from behind him alerted him to a charging bandit and he turned around with his sword at the ready in enough time to parry a slash. Parrying the slash from the man's sword he spun passed him and slashed him across the neck. The man dropped his weapon and he collapsed in shock.

Then suddenly two men charged Kyoshi from his left and right. Gripping the hilt of his Katana firmly in his right hand he took his left hand off the hilt and quickly drew the Wakizashi still at his hip. Pulling it from its sheath he blocked a slash from the bandit coming at him from his left with one arm. The bandit's eyes widened at the boys impressive strength. Then he gasped when he saw the blade of the Wakizashi was completely made of some kind of black metal. Kyoshi slashed hit Katana at the man approaching him from the right, cutting him across the face and making him reel away in pain as he bought his hand up to his leaking scar. Then he pushed the sword of the man to his left away before bringing his Katana around and stabbing him in the stomach. The man gasped in shock and coughed up blood before Kyoshi pulled out his sword and shook the blood off of it.

Then he held his sword at the ready as he waited for his next opponent.

Meanwhile, Ryuiji was engaging the bandits as well. Immediately after drop-kicking his bandit and sending him toppling over he leapt to his feet in time to face a charging bandit with a knife. The bandit charged at him with a battle cry with a dagger poised above his head in his right hand. As he was bringing it down to kill the Ryuiji he immediately brought up his left hand and caught him by the wrist. Before the bandit could overcome his surprise and pull his arm free he gave it a hard twist, making the bandit cry out in pain and drop his weapon. Then he immediately brought his right hand to the man's neck in a powerful karate chop. The man's knees turned to jelly as he collapsed from being struck in the vulnerable area.

Ryuiji stepped away from the man and turned around to face another bandit. The bandit was armed was armed with a Katana and was intent on cleaving Ryuiji in two. Ryuiji calmly clapped both his hand together as the blade was inches from his face and halted the man's attack. Holding it firmly in a vice like grip the bandit couldn't pull it free, allowing Ryuiji to kick the man in the stomach. The man stumbled back and lost his grip on his sword as he clutched his stomach and gasped for air. Ryuiji threw down the sword and advanced on the man. He kicked the man across the face with right leg and then struck him from the other side with his heel. Then he planted his right leg down and spun on his toes as he struck out with his left leg. He drove his boot into the man's chest and sent him flying.

Getting back into a battle stance he looked around for his next opponent. This time it came in the form of three bandits, all armed with Katanas. They smirked evilly as they figured they had the advantage over Ryuiji. They couldn't make out a weapon on him at all.

Since only samurai were allowed to carry Katana Ryuiji didn't have one himself. All he had was a Tanto at his waist behind him and his other melee weapon. Slowly Ryuiji reached into a pocket on the inside of his vest and pulled it out.

The bandits tensed as they saw him reach for something in his vest. They figured it must have been a knife. They were shocked and then confused when he pulled out a short black rod. It didn't look like a weapon and it was only a few inches long. They sneered at him and thought they could easily finish him.

*"What are you gonna do boy? Poke us with your stick?"* One of them asked with a dark laugh.

Ryuiji only smirked back. *"No, I'm gonna beat you with my staff,"* he said firmly.

They narrowed their eyes at him. Staff? That stick? He was obviously bluffing. *"Bullshit,"* one of them said calling him out on his bluff.

Ryuiji only continued to smile before he pressed the button on the center of the rod. Immediately the rod extended to a nearly seven foot metal staff. The bandits'' eyes widened as they gasped in surprise. *"No shit,"* he said before pointing one end of the staff at them and inviting a challenge.

As Ryuiji and Kyoshi were engaging the bandits in hand to hand, others in the group had stepped back to try and take them out with a well-placed arrow. As one archer level his bow and prepared to shoot Kyoshi a rush of wings followed by a flash of crimson stopped him. Amakage and Toothless were circling in the air around the battle and watching for any archers who might try to kill their riders from a distance. Amakage had picked out the bandit aiming for his human and immediately fired at him. His fired struck the ground in front of the bandit and exploded, sending the man flying backward. Amakage gave a draconic cheer as he continued watching any bandit who had stepped away from the battle.

As another bandit was preparing to shoot Ryuiji, Toothless swooped down a grabbed him by the shoulders before lifting him into the air. The bandit cried out in terror as he watched the ground get farther away. Toothless only laughed before dropping the man on one of his comrades that Kyoshi had been fighting. Amakage roared in appreciation at the assistance for his rider and Toothless roared back.

Ryuiji raised his staff and held it horizontally above him as the three bandits all attempted a downward slash on him. He was only pushed back slightly by their combined strengths and his knees bent slightly under the pressure. As the men attempted to overpower him he struck out with his right leg and kicked the center bandits in the stomach. The man stepped back as he tried to get some air back into him. Then Ryuiji jumped quickly, causing the bandits to stumble as they were no longer pressing down on him. Ryuiji then swung his staff to the right, hitting one bandit squarely on his temple and knocking him out. Then he jabbed the other bandit at his left in the foot. The man cried out I pain and Ryuiji took the opportunity to place the staff between his legs, shift both his feet apart causing him to nearly fall over and then smacking him hard across the face from the left. The man went down.

Ryuiji heard a shout from behind him and took his left hand off his staff. Reaching behind him he drew his Tanto and whirled around and stabbed an approaching bandit in the neck. Then he dragged the knife across the man's throat before delivering a powerful kick to the man's chest. Ryuiji put away his Tanto as he scanned around for more opponents and found five bandits trying to enclose him. Ryuiji backed away from them as he watched them warily. He backed away until he bumped into someone. Glancing over his shoulder he saw that he had bumped into Kyoshi. In front of his friend were four bandits, armed and ready. Standing back to back they prepared to finish the battle.

One bandit in front of Ryuiji charged him. Ryuiji simply jabbed the man in the gut. Deciding to rush the pair, the three bandits on Ryuiji's side charged while another three on Kyoshi's side charged as well. As if reading each other's mind Kyoshi ducked while Ryuiji grabbed on end of his staff with both hands and spun in a full circle. He smacked the bandits across their faces as he spun. Most of the bandits were dazed by the staff and Kyoshi and Ryuiji capitalized on it. Kyoshi took a step forward and slashed at the men while Ryuiji swung his staff. They took out all six of them and turned to face each other with a proud smile, then they each saw the bandits charging at them from over their shoulders.

*"Behind you,"* they both called out in unison. Taking a step forward they grabbed each other with their left hands and pulled each other forward, lashing out with a powerful kick at the approaching bandits ad knocking them out. Then with a spin, Ryuiji stepped around Kyoshi and knocked out the last bandit. Both men stood at the ready for more. But glancing around, they saw that all the bandits had been taken out. Kyoshi lowered and sheathed his swords while Ryuiji collapsed and pocketed his staff.

Then both men began to walk around and take in the bandits' condition. Most were dead. But a little under half of them were still alive since Ryuiji used his staff. The living would be tied up and left for the samurai of the Western province to deal with.

A war cry suddenly alerted Ryuiji to a bandit that had regained consciousness. Glancing to his left he was being charged by a bandit with a Katana.

"Ryuiji!" Kyoshi called out a few feet to his right. Ryuiji turned to look at his friend as Kyoshi drew his Katana and tossed it to him. Ryuiji caught it by the hilt and raised it in time to block the man's sword.

The man growled at Ryuiji in anger but Ryuiji remained silent and kept his expression neutral. With a grunt of exertion he pushed the man back and gripped his sword firmly in both hands as he assumed a battle stance. He pointed the weapon at the man and said, "Koi." _Bring it. _

The man snarled and swung at Ryuiji wildly. Ryuiji saw through the man's attacks and easily blocked, dodged, and parried his slashes. Ryuiji was a skilled swordsman. He was one of the few able to match Kyoshi in a sword duel after their years of sparring together. As the man swung at him from his left, he blocked the blow with his sword. When the swords clanged together Ryuiji pressed down on the man's sword before sliding his blade along the man's and toward his face. The man was barely able to jerk away in time to avoid being slashed across the face. He leapt back with a growl and glared at Ryuiji. Ryuiji only smiled ad gestured at him to attack. It was time to end this.

With a cry the man charged. Ryuiji also charged with his sword in his right hand and at the ready. As the man got closer and prepared to lash out he was suddenly blinded as blood coming from above his eyes obscured his vision. Unbeknownst to him, Ryuiji had made a small cut above his eye in their last exchange and it had just started to bleed. With a wild swing he attempted to strike Ryuiji but he only ducked and slashed the man along the side as he rushed passed him.

Ryuiji stood up, tall and proud as he knew he had won and turned to toss Kyoshi his sword back. The bandit finally collapsed after a few moments of shock and bled out. A roar above them caused the young men to look up and see their dragons spiral down to land. Both landed near their riders and sniffed for injuries. The young men assured their dragons that they were fine before bumping fists in victory.

In their own gesture of celebration the dragon shot their fires into the sky, making them collide in a brilliant purple flash followed by a roar in victory.

"Chalk up another win for the Black Riders," Ryuiji said proudly.

"Indeed. Mission accomplished," Kyoshi said with a smile.

Together they tied up the remaining live bandits and waited for the province's samurai to arrive before turning the bandit over to them. Then they both mounted their dragons before flying back to the palace.

"So what do you wanna do now?" Ryuiji called out to his friend.

"I don't know," Kyoshi replied. "We could eat," he suggested.

"Sounds good, I'm starving," Ryuiji called back.

The pair chuckled as they looked forward to a meal waiting for them at the palace. They both took satisfaction that they had both made the kingdom just a little bit safer due to their efforts and bravery. As long as the Black Riders patrolled the skies, bandits wouldn't be allowed to do as they pleased.

That anyone could be sure of.

* * *

**Scond chapter hope ya like. Feel free to review and comment. Evrything helps**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wistful Thinking**

Ryuiji was laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. He stared off into space as he replayed the events of dinner. Like most nights he ate with Kyoshi's family. The dinner started off fine with the group engaging in casual conversation. To Ryuiji's amusement his mother, Yoko-san, asked when Kyoshi would find himself a wife. Kyoshi only flushed and muttered excuses that he would wait a few more years.

Ryuiji subtly suggested he was betting Kyoshi would get married around the same time as the princess. This earned him a death glare from Kyoshi across the table that only made him chuckle. Then to his horror and mortification Yoko asked him when he would find a nice Japanese girl. Yoko considered Ryuiji an honorary son and pressed him for details on when he would bless her with honorary grandchildren. It only got worse when Daichi suggested that he could find him a wife. Kyoshi was barely containing his laughter at the way the tables had so quickly turned on his friend.

So after dinner was over Ryuiji went to his quarters and flopped down on the bed as he thought about his future. He wondered what he would do. Would he end up finding a Japanese girl and marrying her? Would he have children and spend the rest of his day in Japan? He didn't know. That didn't sound too bad though. His life here was pretty good. He had everything a man could ask for here. Friends, respect, a job, a purpose. What more did he need?

His brooding was interrupted when he heard the door to his room slide open. Glancing over, he saw it was Kyoshi. "Hey," he said halfheartedly.

"Everything alright Ryuiji?" he asked with mild concern.

"Yeah. "Just lost in thought is all," he answered.

"Does it have to do with what mother said?"

Ryuiji remained silent. Then he sighed. "A little," he admitted.

Kyoshi had guessed that was the case. He watched as his friend was lost in his own pensive thoughts. He noticed that seemed to be happening a lot lately. He needed to take him out. "How about we head to the Southern Province. There's going to be a Matsuri festival," he suggested.

Hiccup thought about it for a moment. "Nah. Not up for it," he replied.

Kyoshi frowned at his answer. But he knew his friend well. He knew how to get him out. "Ok then. Shame really. I was going to suggest we have a race there. Amakage's gotten a bit faster now. I bet his speed is superior to Toothless'," he said with a shrug. Ryuiji didn't respond, but Kyoshi knew he had him. "But if you're not up to it I guess there's no helping it," he said with a smirk.

_3…2…1_. And then Ryuiji sat up and looked at his friend with a smile on his face. "You're on."

* * *

"YEAH BABY!" Ryuiji shouted excitedly as he and Toothless shot through the air. He and Toothless were only slightly ahead of their opponents, Amakage and Kyoshi, as they sped over the land and toward the Southern Province. Glancing to his left he saw Kyoshi smiling as he urged Amakage forward. He was right, Amakage had gotten a bit faster. But he was still no match for Toothless.

Amakage pulled up beside Toothless and they glanced at each other out of the comers of their eyes. They both gave a competitive growl as they pumped their wings harder to gain speed. Their relationship was a lot like their riders'. They were friends and rivals who loved to test themselves against each other.

They loved competing against each other and testing their speeds. To Amakage's annoyance, Toothless' speed had always been superior to his. But when they raced through cliffs and forests his snake like body gave him an edge in maneuverability that allowed him to win some of their races. The pair also sparred and tested their strengths and fighting skills against each other. Over the years they were pretty evenly matched and they helped each other improve their skills.

As Amakage was gaining on them Ryuiji adjusted the tailfin and Toothless put on a burst of speed. He pulled further ahead of Amakage and Kyoshi and he grunted at Amakage mockingly. Amakage growled in annoyance and put on a burst of speed himself. Their riders had wide smiles on their faces as they soared over the land. They loved this. The rush and sound of the wind roaring in their ears. They would never get tired of this.

Suddenly a roar followed by a pink blur shooting past them took the men and dragons by surprise. They lost control for a moment by the gust of wind in the wake of their newest challenger. Evening out they all looked ahead of them and smiled at their surprise guest.

Smiling back at them was the princess, Megumi. She was atop her pink female Mizuchi, affectionately named Sakura-chan. Sakura had been a gift from Ryuiji and Kyoshi for her 15th birthday. The pair had a very strong bond and they loved each other dearly. Sakura being a female Mizuchi was smaller shorter, and sleeker than male Mizuchis like Amakage. Her horns were also smaller and she lacked the prehensile whiskers the males had on their upper lips. Sakura was a shy dragon. Whenever she met a stranger she would hide her head behind the princess until she reassured her it was safe.

The princess had become an amazingly skilled dragon rider. She would often race members of the Benten corps and win. And Sakura was amazingly fast. Even Toothless had trouble keeping ahead of her.

*"Princess. What brings you here?"* Ryuiji asked with a smile.

The princess smiled back as she got Sakura to slow down a little. *"I just thought that Ryuiji could use some real competition,"* she said playfully. She looked over to a frowning Kyoshi and wrinkled her nose at him.

Then with a whoop of laughter she and Sakura shot ahead. Ryuiji and Kyoshi looked at each other and smiled. Then they urged their dragons forward and after the princess. They were both determined to win. Or at least not come in third place.

* * *

Together the dragons and their riders walked through Toki Village. The village was beautiful. Lanterns were lit, illuminating the streets in a warm golden light. Adults and children were having a good time playing games and buying treats from the local vendors. The village had panicked when they had first landed and strolled into the village but settled down when they saw the dragons weren't wild.

The people were amazed at seeing the dragons up close. They instantly recognized Ryuiji and Kyoshi as the Black Riders and of course they knew the princess. They were welcomed with open arms and the fish vendors even gave some of their sock to the dragons who ate them up greedily.

The group was having a good time. They enjoyed the food and played some games. Ryuiji won a dragon mask from a stall from a shooting gallery. Kyoshi won the princess a mouse mask from the same game. As they continued walking around they saw a puppet show was being performed. And it was depicting the battle with the Orochi from all those years ago.

Ryuiji smiled to himself as he watched the show. When he turned around to see the face of his friends he was surprised to see they weren't there. Looking around, he finally found them near a Dango stand. He watched and smiled as he saw the princess offering a stick of the dumplings to Kyoshi. Kyoshi slid one off and ate it and smiled at the princess while she giggled and blushed.

Ryuiji was happy for his friend. The couple had known each other since they were children and as they got older they started to develop more intimate feeling for one another. Ryuiji saw this coming for years. Glancing over to their dragons he saw Amakage sharing some of his fish with Sakura. He found it very funny that both dragons and riders were enamored with each other.

He started laughing when he saw Amakage suddenly get into a tug of war over a Marlin against Toothless. He decided to let the couple have their alone time and walked off by himself. As he walked around thoughts of his future began to resurface. What would he do about women and children? He knew he wanted them someday. He was a Viking after all. And he didn't want to be alone for the rest of his life.

As he looked around he noticed he was getting smoldering looks from some local girls. He blushed and ducked his head shyly and he heard them giggle in response. Women in Japan seemed to like him well enough. Kyoshi said it was because he was tall. He thought how funny it was that he was considered attractive half way around the world but not at home. But then again he had changed. Maybe he was a catch now. He shook his head and snorted. _Yeah right_, he thought slightly bitter. He may have gotten taller and bulked up a little but he wasn't going to be a giant anytime soon.

Over the years he had tried to form an interest in some Japanese girls around the palace. He honestly found them to be pretty. But every time he tried to get closer to one, his mind would flash with images of a girl with fierce blue eyes and golden hair. Both belonging to the girl that still held his heart.

With a sigh he walked up the stairs to the local shrine. He stopped when he reached the top and leaned against a pillar of one of the Torii. He started thinking more and more about Astrid over the years. It started when he turned 17. At that age he was considered a man by his people's customs. He was also able to take a wife. But then again no one would have wanted him back then. Especially the glorious Valkyrie that was Astrid Hofferson. Though after that kiss he wondered what would have happened if he had stayed. Maybe they would have at least become friends. Maybe he could have won her affection with time.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. Glancing over his shoulder he saw it was Kyoshi. His friend was holding out a squid on a stick for him. He took it with a grateful smile and he took a bite. "How's your date going?" he asked him.

"Pretty good. Is something wrong?" he asked him.

Ryuiji sighed. "Just thinking," he said blankly.

"About Astrid?" Kyoshi asked curiously. Ryuiji had shared much of his old life with Kyoshi over the years.

"Yeah," he said before taking another bite from his squid. They remained silent for a few minutes as Ryuiji ate and enjoyed the company of his friend. "I'm thinking about going Kyoshi," Ryuiji said breaking the silence.

"Ok. Where shall we go?" he asked, not grasping what he was getting at. Ryuiji often went exploring on his own and Kyoshi would sometimes join him.

"I meant I'm thinking about returning home," Ryuiji clarified.

Kyoshi understood that perfectly. "Why my friend?" he asked seriously.

"It's my home Kyoshi. And I think it's about time I returned there."

"Are you not happy here my friend? You have everything a person could ask for," Kyoshi pointed out.

"I know. But I miss it. I miss my people," he said with a somber voice.

Kyoshi gave a small nod in understanding. "I would miss you you know."

"I know," Ryuiji aid in acknowledgment.

"When do you plan on going?" Kyoshi asked inquisitively.

"In a month maybe. Just got get some things ready," he said already thinking about what he would need to do.

"I think that a little too soon Ryuiji. You should stay at least two months. So we can get affairs in order with the Benten and say your final goodbyes," Kyoshi offered.

Ryuiji thought about it for a moment before nodding in acceptance. Kyoshi was probably right. He needed time to say his goodbyes and get his affairs in order. One more month wouldn't hurt. Plus it would give him some time to consider if he really wanted to leave.

With that the pair headed back down to the village. Ryuiji had a lot to think about.

Beside him Kyoshi hid his relief at convincing his friend to stay a little longer. He would have to tell his father when they returned to the palace that Hiccup would have to be given his surprise sooner than expected.

He would miss his friend dearly. But he'd always been half expecting this to happen one day. But before he left Ryuiji would be given one final gift. One that he would keep forever.

* * *

**New chapter. Hope its ok. Just a little filler to set the mood and frther the story. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Final Gift**

Ryuiji was in the palace's forge as he worked on making a new saddle and tailfin. It had been three weeks since he had made the decision to leave and his mind hadn't changed. While he loved this land and the people in it he had to return home. To see his father if nothing else. He hadn't yet told anyone about his decision to leave. He didn't know how others would take it. Would they be disappointed in him? Would they think he was ungrateful for all they'd done for him? He hoped not. He respected so many people in the palace.

"Ryuiji," came a familiar voice behind him. Turing around, he saw that it was Daichi.

"Hello sir," he greeted him respectfully with a bow. "Do you need anything?"

"Yes. Come with me," he said blankly.

"Well I'm kind of busy at the moment," Ryuiji replied sheepishly.

"Come," Daichi said more firmly. It was an order this time.

Ryuiji reluctantly set down his project and followed after Daichi as he led him out of the forge. He couldn't read Daichi's mood at the moment. Daichi rarely gave him and order. Usually he made a respectful request of him.

"Kyoshi says you plan on leaving Ryuiji," Daichi said not turning around. Ryuiji flinched at his words. He hadn't wanted Daichi to find out like this. He wanted to be the one to tell him. Though he guessed he couldn't blame his friend. He had been putting it off for too long.

"Yes sir. It's true," he said with a sigh. "It's not that I'm not grateful sir. It's just that…well," Ryuiji paused as he tried to find the right words.

"You seek to find your destiny," Daichi said stopping and turning to look at him.

Ryuiji considered his words for a moment before nodding.

Diachi's expression remained blank for a moment. "I understand," he said with a nod.

"You do? You're not disappointed?" Ryuiji asked hesitantly.

Daichi shook his head. "No. I've always been half expecting you to move on one day. I just hoped it might have been a few more years from now," he admitted. Then motioning with his head he continued walking forward. Ryuiji was glad Daichi wasn't disappointed with him. He respected the general a lot. The man had helped him grow into who he was now. He had taught him many life lessons on being a man.

Together they walked in silence for a few moments before they came to the doors of the main courtyard. Sliding the door open and ushering Ryuiji through, he shut the door behind them. Ryuiji took a good look at the courtyard and froze on the spot. His eyes were wide at what he saw.

The entire courtyard was filled with the Shogun's army. He could see hundreds of his men clad in their samurai armor. He gulped nervously as it looked like they were about to go to war. What unnerved him more is that they were staring at him. The men were divided into two section, leaving the center of the courtyard open with a path. Looking at the end of the path, Ryuiji could see the Shogun ahead.

He stood there unsure of what to do until Daichi came up to his right and gave him a push forward. Slowly they both started walking up to the Shogun. Ryuiji still didn't know what was going on. Why was the army here? Why was everyone clad in their armor? Why the Hel was he being stared at?  
As they got closer to the Shogun he could also see his friend, the princess, and the prince standing off to the side. And directly behind the Shogun he could make out an old man he recognized was the head smith and chief sword maker Takoa-san.

When they finally reached the Shogun Daichi moved to stand at the man's right. Ryuiji gave the Shogun a respectful bow. Then he stood up and waited for the Shogun to address him.

*"Ryuiji. Thank you for coming,"* the Shogun said respectfully.

*"Of course my lord,"* Ryuiji answered formally. *"May I ask what this is about?"* He asked carefully.

The Shogun remained silent and still for a few moments before turning and taking something from Takao-san. When he turned back around to face Ryuiji he had something in both his hands. It was a Katana. Eyeing it he looked up at the Shogun inquisitively, not sure what he wanted him to do.

*"Takao-san wants to know your opinion,"* the Shogun explained.

Ryuiji was skeptical at his answer. While Ryuiji could make a fine Katana, he didn't have the fine eye that Takao-san, who had been making them his whole life had. But he obediently reached out and gripped the sword firmly with both his hands on the scabbard. Looking at the sheathed sword he saw that it looked new and unused. The scabbard was a fine black lacquered wood and the Tuska, or hilt of the sword, was wrapped in black ray skin with the menuki wholes colored red.

Grasping the hilt of the sword firmly with his right hand and holding the scabbard with his left he drew it. It was beautiful like all of Takoa's swords. As he had expected it was a relatively new sword. It had yet to see battle but he could tell it was a fine weapon.

*"How does it feel,"* Takoa-san asked from behind the Shogun. Ryuiji held it up vertically and tested the weight with a swing. It felt like a good sword. But there was something more. It felt…right. It felt amazingly good…almost like it was meant for his hands.

He kept the blade pointed down at the ground as he inspected it. *"It feels good. A fine sword like always,"* he answered in admiration. He looked up at Takoa-san who was smiling proudly. Ryuiji really respected and admired Takao's abilities. The man had taught him how to make swords the Japanese style way. The Japanese Katanas were some incredibly made swords. Their sharpness and quality were unlike anything he'd ever seen from a Viking sword. He remembered the time when he made his first Katana. He had been so proud. Then he cast his gaze back down to the sword still in his hands. He couldn't take his eyes off it. There was just something about it. He didn't know what it was. It seemed like any other Katana. Maybe a little longer than most.

As he looked at it from different angles he noticed something else. The guard on the sword looked like...a coiled up Night Fury. Taking a second glance oly confirmed what he was seeing. It was Toothless. Coiled up with his wings flared open. Glancing even closer he could also make out something etched into the Habaki, the sword collar just above the guard. His eyes widened slightly in disbelief at what he saw. He couldn't believe what the Kanji etched into the metal read.

His mind started getting crazy ideas. He shook his head to dispel his foolishness. Sheathing the sword, he presented it to the Shogun who was smiling. Ryuiji waited for him to take back the sword and dismiss him. He wanted his opinion and he gave it. The Shogun made no move to take back the sword. Then turned to Daichi and nodded. Daichi nodded back.

*"Bring it out!"* Daichi called out firmly.

Ryuiji stood there confused before he heard a commotion in the crowd of samurai. Glancing to his left he saw some servants carrying what looked like a wardrobe. He watched, growing ever more confused, as they carried it out and placed it to the side. Then with a nod from Daichi, one of the servants opened the wardrobes doors. Ryuiji's eyes widened.

It was armor. Samurai armor. Mounted on a wooden mannequin he looked it over. It was black. Or almost all black. The top part of the gauntlets were red. Looking down he saw that the boots weren't normal. They were a pair of thick leather boots like the ones Ryuiji preferred. Another strange thing was the helmet. It didn't look like a typical samurai helmet. It was black with the bottom half a deep red. It had three ridges of spike running from the front to the back. It looked like a good helmet for flying on a dragon with. Looking at the dimensions of the armor. He could tell that it was meant for someone quite tall. Someone who would probably about six feet in height. Tearing his eyes away from the armor, he looked back at the Shogun and Daichi.

They were smiling at him. They were obviously enjoying his reaction and looks of admiration.

After swallowing, Ryuiji found his voice. *"Whose are these?"* He asked slowly, referring to the armor and sword.

The Shogun remained silent as he looked into his eyes. *"They are yours,"* he finally said.

Ryuiji stood here shocked. He couldn't comprehend the Shogun's answer. This surely had to be a joke. No ordinary person received a Katana and armor. Least of all some foreigner blacksmith commoner.

*"Everyone,"* the Shogun cried out with his powerful authoritative voice. *"Let us all bow and pay our respects to a new warrior among our ranks,"* then he paused to look Ryuiji in the eyes. *"We gladly accept you among us. Lord Ryuiji,"* he declared. At the end of his statement Daichi, his son, the princess, the prince, and all the other samurai bowed to him.

Ryuiji's brain had all but stopped. He couldn't fathom the evidence that had been presented to him. This surely had to be a dream. This surely couldn't be real. He had been given a Katana. Now he could tell it was obviously custom made for his own hands. He had been given armor. Obviously made uniquely for him. And now the Shogun had just called him _Lord Ryuiji._

The Shogun had just made him…a samurai.

* * *

Ryuiji was sitting in the Shogun's personal quarters. He sat across the table from the Shogun as the man drank some tea. All the while his eyes were glued to the sword he still held in both his hands. A sword that had been made especially for him. A sword that if he accepted would mark him as a samurai. An elite warrior.

*"Ryuiji,"* came the firm voice of Daichi that pulled his eyes away from the sword. Looking up he glanced over to Daichi who was standing beside the Shogun. *"You seem troubled,"* he pointed out. After Ryuiji processed what had occurred he had an unsure and pensive look on his face. Daichi pointed this out to the Shogun and suggested they speak in private. The Shogun agreed and led Ryuiji to his personal quarters.

*"You don't seem very happy about this,"* the Shogun also pointed out.

Ryuiji panicked at having possibly offended the Shogun. *"No I'm honored. Really I am,"* he quickly said. Then he cast his gaze back down to the sword. *"It's just that...I can't accept this,"* he muttered quietly.

The Shogun raised an eyebrow in question. *"Why not?"* Daichi asked echoing his thoughts.

Ryuiji lifted his gaze from the sword and took a breath. *"Because I know what being a samurai means. It means to serve a master. And I'm sorry my lord,"* he said respectfully as he could. *"But I still intend to leave. I can't in good conscience take this,"* he said bowing his head and presenting the sword to the Shogun. He respected the Shogun and the samurai too much to selfishly take up the mantle himself. As much as it pained him, he couldn't do that to them.

The room remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. Then to Ryuiji's surprise he heard a chuckle. Looking up he saw that the Shogun was laughing. Next to him, Daichi was laughing too. Then he saw Daichi reach into his armor and pull out a gold coin before handing it to the Shogun. Ryuiji was confused. What was so funny?

Then the Shogun reached an arm out across the table and pushed the sword back to him. *"Sorry Ryuiji. You just made me slightly richer. Daichi and I had a bet on whether or not you would accept your new title and I just won,"* he said with a smile. *"Such an unselfish act only further proves that you are worthy of being a samurai Ryuiji. What you did was very honorable. Not many people in your place would turn down such an offer,"* he said evenly. Ryuiji listened intently as the Shogun praised him. *"Consider this to be my final gift to you. For all you have done for my people."*

*"We'd been planning to give it to you in six more months,"* Daichi revealed. *"But when Kyoshi told me you planned to leave sooner, we knew we had to do it now,"* he explained.

Then the Shogun paused before he stood up. Then he beckoned Ryuiji to stand up as well. When he did the Shogun walked up to him and looked into his eyes. *"Ryuiji. As long as you continue to live honorably and follow the way of the warrior. You will be master to only yourself. You will be worthy of being called, samurai,"* he said firmly, his voice full of warmth.

Ryuiji listened to the Shogun's words before looking to Daichi. Daichi gave him a firm nod. He was telling him that it was ok. Ryuiji glanced down at the sword before pulling it close to his chest. *"You have no idea what this means to me,"* he said quietly. They truly didn't. He couldn't put into words the joy he felt right now. This was the kind of acceptance he'd yearned for as a childwhen he wanted to be a dragon killer. These people acknowledged him as a warrior. An equal. Him. A Viking. A foreigner.

*"Wear it with pride Ryuiji,"* the Shogun told him.

Ryuiji nodded before he slipped the sword into his belt. Then he looked to both men, beaming with pride. *"I will,"* he said resolutely. And he meant it.

* * *

Toothless was dozing atop of his rider's quarters. He was patiently waiting for his rider to finish his business and go on a flight with him. Lately he'd been busy preparing for their trip back to their home territory. Toothless would miss Japan. But as much as he loved this land and exploring, he was excited to head back to the place he'd been born.

"Toothless! Toothless!" suddenly came the excited shout from his human. Rising up and glancing over the edge of the roof he saw his human looking up at him with a wide smile on his face. "Come down here bud. I got something to show ya," he shouted up to him.

Toothless cocked his head before obliging. He leapt down on the roof and landed in front of his human. Then he sat on his haunches as he waited for him to show him.

"Bud you won't believe what just happened," he said before he paused and pulled out a sword at his hip. He hadn't seen his human ever carry around a sword before. "Look at this bud. Do you know what this means?" he asked him. Toothless cocked his head to the side inquisitively. "It means I'm a samurai bud. Your rider is a samurai," he said jumping up and down ecstatically. Toothless understood that. He flashed him a gummy grin and bobbed his head up and down while releasing some enthusiastic gurgles.

"Bud. We got to show this to Raijin," he said with a gasp. Toothless nodded his head excitedly before the pair took off running toward the entrance to the cave systems.

* * *

Ryuiji led the way as they walked through the cave systems underneath the palace. He was excited to tell Raijin about his new status. He liked the big dragon a lot and he seemed to like him back. As he and Toothless walked through the caves he was greeted by the friendly growl and bows of Raijin's subjects. The whole Mizuchi nest lived inside the mountain now after the destruction of their old one when the Orochi was defeated. The dragons loved it here. They adored the hot springs under the mountain and loved bathing and splashing about. They even allowed the humans to join them in their baths.

Finally after a few minutes they reached the edge of the largest pool in the cave system. It was the size of a small lake. Only Raijin swam in this pool since he was the king. Glancing down from the cliff overlooking the lake, he scanned the water for Raijin. Despite not being a Tidal class dragon Raijin was a very good swimmer.

Not spotting the dragon he took a deep breath. "Hey Raijin! It's me big guy!" he called out loudly. His voice echoed off the walls of the cave as he waited. Then he noticed bubbled rising out of the water. Then he could make out something moving beneath the surface. Then it a great spray of warm water Raijin burst from below the surface. Making his way over to the cliff he lowered his head to greet Ryuiji and Toothless.

Ryuiji always felt humbled in the presence of Raijin. He could just feel the power and wisdom the dragon radiated. Plus the way the dragon carried himself. It was like standing before a real god. Raijin, the giant Mizuchi king, was a powerful dragon. Some people referred to him as the Great Typhoon of the North. And that was because Raijin was like a force of nature. His wings were like a tempest. His roar like thunder. His tail like a lightning bolt. And his breath a firestorm. Ryuiji shivered when he thought of the destruction the dragon could cause. But he was appeased at knowing Raijin wasn't capable of such things.

All white with blue spines he was the only one of his species in that color. Symbolizing his status as king. At his tail was a fake tailfin like Toothless' that had been created by Ryuiji himself. He had lost the other half in the battle with the eight headed usurper shortly before Ryuiji had first arrived in this land. His body was adorned with battle scars that the king wore proudly as a testament to his prowess and ferocity.

As he lowered his head to greet the dragon and human he roared lightly. Ryuiji and Toothless bowed in respect. Something he acknowledged with a nod and subtle bow to Ryuiji. Raijin only ever bowed to him. And the Shogun. Raijin was considered by most of the kingdom to be the Shogun's dragon. Increasing his already god like status. But Ryuiji knew better. Raijin belonged to only himself. But the dragon respected the Shogun as a fellow king.

As he looked Ryuiji over he extended his whiskers toward him and ran them over his body. Inspecting him for anything new. Ryuiji learned that the whiskers on the Mizuchi males' upper lips were very sensitive and were used to examine and interact with their environments. They whiskers could tell whether or not something was edible along with other useful information. Ryuiji tried to suppress bouts of laughter as the whiskers tickled him. Then the whiskers started running down the length of his sword.

Raijin gave Ryuiji an inquisitive croon. "I've been made a samurai big guy," Ryuiji explained with a smile. Raijin crooned lightly in congratulations. "There's also something else I want to tell you big guy," Ryuiji said, his tone changing significantly. Raijin cocked his head to the side curiously.

"I'm leaving big guy," he said. "In about a month," he added. Raijin understood his words and crooned sadly. "I know Raijin. But I need to go home," Ryuiji explained. He would miss the large dragon. It was only because of him that he'd been able to learn so much about the Mizuchis. It was also only because of him that he was alive, having been saved by the giant dragon during the battle with the Orochi.

Raijin wrapped one of his whiskers around Ryuiji's waist before lifting him into the air. Then he placed him on his snout. Ryuiji sat down on his snout before he began scratching his skin. Raijin rumbled in contentment. He would miss the little human who had done so much for him and his subjects. If it hadn't been for the little human, he would have never become the king again and his subjects would still be suffering at the hands of the Orochi.

"I'll miss you big guy," Ryuiji said sincerely.

Raijin crooned in response and lowered his head to rest it on the cliff. Ryuiji promised himself to visit Raijin as much as he could before he left. He also promised to spend as much time as he could with the people he cared about. He wanted to make sure he had as many good memories with them as he could get.

After all they had done for him, gods know he was going to miss them all dearly.

* * *

**Hiccup is now officially a samurai. Hope everyone likes. Not very good at describing the armor. Gonna have to use your imagination. the helmet is like the one from Httyd 2**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Vandals**

It was just a normal day on Berk. The entire tribe was busy doing their normal duties and keeping their island and village running. In the great hall the young riders of the Dragon Academy were having a casual conversation about nothing in particular. At their usual table was Fishlegs, the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Snotlout. They were slightly curious of the whereabouts of the head of the Dragon Academy was when as if on cue the doors to the great hall opened and she strolled in.

The others could instantly tell that she was in a bad mood. Her face was plastered with a frown and her fists were balled at her sides. They watched as she made her way over to the cooks and grabbed a plate of food. Then she stomped her way over to the table before plopping down, dropping her plate down angrily, and digging into her meal.

"Umm….hey Astrid," Fishlegs said in a nervous greeting.

Astrid only nodded her head in acknowledgment but didn't return his greeting.

"Everything ok?" Ruffnut asked her.

"Parents," was her only response. The others understood. Astrid was considered one of the most eligible young and single ladies left on Berk. There wasn't a Viking on Berk or among their allies that didn't want the chance to court her. But Astrid was always adamant about turning any potential suitors down. But they knew that for years her parents had been pressuring her into finding a man.

"They keep telling you that you're practically ancient and need to find a husband?" Ruffnut asked. Astrid scowled and nodded again.

"You know Astrid. I could marry you if you wanted get your parents off your back," Snotlout suggested waggling his eyebrows and throwing her a sly grin.

Astrid immediately stopped eating and shoved her plate of food away. "And now I've lost my appetite," she said in blatant disgust. She'd behead Snotlout before marrying him.

"There's going to be a dragon race in a few days Astrid," Fishlegs said trying to change the subject. "Do you want in?"

Astrid gave him a small smile and nodded. Astrid always loved the dragon races Berk had. She always won them. She was the undefeated champion, an accomplishment she took no small measure of pride in.

"Me and Hookfang are totally going to crush this race," Snotlout said haughtily. Despite all his losses he had yet to be humbled.

Suddenly the doors to the great hall burst open and Gobber walked in. Scanning the room, gaze rested on the riders. He hobbled his way over to them with a serious expression on his face.

"All of you, the chief wants you at Gothi's now," he said shortly.

The others exchanged glances before getting up and following after Gobber. They wondered what was happening.

* * *

Inside Gothi's hut, the riders, Gobber, and the chief were surrounding a wounded Viking on a medical bed. The poor man was wrapped up in many bandages. The chief had explained that the man was found on a ship that had drifted into their waters. From what he had told them, it looked like the man's ship had been attacked by marauders.

This was disturbing news. Marauders so close to Berk waters meant danger. This meant that the riders may have to escort their ships to ensure safe travels. Now they were waiting for the man to awaken so they could get more details. Like what tribe the marauders belonged to and where he was from so they could help him get home.

Slowly the man began to come to. His eyes started to twitch before he opened them in a panicked gasp. He quickly surveyed the room and made a move to sit up when Stoick pushed him down.

"Easy there sailor. You're safe," he said to reassure the man.

The man looked into Stoick's eyes with uncertainty. But seeing no indication that Stoick was lying he settled down. "Where am I?" he asked weakly.

"You're on Berk. I am Stoick the Vast. Chief of the Hooligan tribe," Stoick informed him. Then he looked at the man and waited for him to introduce himself.

"I am Brynnjolf of the Troutmouth tribe," he replied.

Stoick nodded as he processed that information. The Troutmouth tribe's territory was pretty far from Berk. They were neither friends nor enemies with them. They would help the man get home. "Can you tell us what happened? Do you know the tribe that did this to you?" Stoick asked.

They watched as the man tried to remember. "It wasn't a tribe that I recognized. They had purple sails and red streaks on their armor and faces," he said. Suddenly his eyes widened as something else occurred to him. "Stoick. Were there any others with me? Are they here?" Brynnjolf asked frantically as he tried to sit up and look around the hut.

But once again the chief pushed him back down. He cast his gaze down in sadness. "No. All we found were bodies," he said quietly.

Everyone saw Brynnjolf's eyes fill with pain as he understood what the chief had said. They saw his eyes water in sadness and grief. "Oh," was all he managed to choke out.

"I'm sorry," Stoick said sincerely. "We'll give them their proper rights when you are well enough. Then we'll get you home," he offered. Brynnjolf nodded and gave the chief a sad smile in appreciation. "Is there anything else you can tell us?" Stoick asked one more time.

Brynnjolf searched his memory once more. Even while biting back the sadness of watching his family and friends being slain. "They called themselves…The Vandals," he revealed.

Everyone exchanged glances. They had never heard of this group before. With a nod and a thanks they all left the hut to allow the man to rest. But they were focused on what the man had told them. Hey knew nothing about this group. They had no idea how large they were or how much of a threat they posed.

Everyone turned their gaze to the horizon. This group was out there somewhere. Possibly waiting to attack one of the Hooligan's ships. But as long as the riders had the skies, The Vandals were the ones who should be afraid.

* * *

**Dun dun dunnnnn**


	6. Chapter 6

**Goodbye**

Two months had finally passed since Ryuiji made the decision to return back to his people. And though he thought long and hard about his decision, it hadn't changed. He had spent his time building a new saddle and tailfin along with replacements parts, gathering necessary supplies, choosing a new lieutenant for the Benten corps, and spending time with the one most important to him.

Currently a majority of the Shogun's army and palace staff were waiting in the main courtyard to say their final goodbyes to the young man. They had thrown him a celebration for his departure and were going to miss him dearly. They all kept their eyes fixed on the doors that led into the courtyard and waited eagerly. Then the doors slid open to reveal the young man. They all smiled proudly at what they saw.

Ryuiji was fully clad in his samurai armor with his sword tied to his side and his helmet under his right arm. They had never seen Ryuiji walk as tall as he did now. He had his held high and looked straight ahead. Behind him, his loyal companion followed closely behind. The dragon carried himself with equal pride and poise as his partner.

Slowly Ryuiji made his way to the canter of the courtyard, where the Shogun, Daichi, Kyoshi, the prince and Princess, and Yoko were waiting for him. As he walked up to them, he looked to the Shogun with a smile and bowed respectfully.

*"My lord,"* he said formally for what he figured would probably be the last time.

*"Ryuiji,"* the Shogun replied with a nod. *"How does the armor feel?" he asked with a smile.

Ryuiji looked up and into his eyes. *"Amazing. Like you wouldn't believe,"* he said sincerely. The Shogun smiled and bowed his head slightly before stepping back and letting the others say their goodbyes.

Everyone's face had a smile. Well, almost everyone, Yoko-san was balling her eyes out. The kind woman hadn't stopped crying since head discovered his decision to leave. She was heartbroken. How could she not be? He was practically her son. She had raised him all these years. She had cleaned up after him, prepared his meals, and wiped his face when he came home dirty, put bandages on his injuries form weapons training, cut and styled his hair. She loved him like he was her own flesh and blood.

Ryuiji's heart clenched al little at seeing Yoko-san cry. He didn't regret his decision to leave but he did regret that it was hurting her. With a smile he walked up to her. She looked up at him through her tears and waited. Then slowly he reached his arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

"Okaa-san, aishiteiru." _I love you, mother. _He whispered to her. Yoko gasped at his words. Then in a wail of sadness she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed even harder. Ryuiji tried to gently pry her off but to no avail. It seemed she was intent on not letting him go as she clung to him desperately. _Not what I was hoping for_, Ryuiji thought to himself.

In desertion he threw a pleading helpless look to Daichi and Kyoshi. Daichi sighed at his wife's behavior and stepped forward to pry her away. It took both him, his son, and some gentle words to finally get her off of him. She smiled sadly at him one more time before allowing herself to be pulled back by her son who held her gently for comfort.

With that, Daichi stepped forward to say his goodbyes. He looked into Ryuiji's eyes with pride. "I remember when I had to look down to speak with you," he said with fond chuckle. Ryuiji chuckled back, reminiscing on how much he had changed since he first arrived. Then cleared his throat to continue. "I am proud to have watched you grow into the man you have become Ryuiji. I am prouder still to have played a small part in that growth," he said with a warm voice.

Ryuiji could never thank Daichi enough. Daichi had been like a father to him all these years. He'd had helped him changes co much from the person he used to be. One of the most life changing events Daichi had been there for had been when Ryuiji had taken his first human life. It had been a bandit that had been about to kill him and his body just reacted. He couldn't stomach what he'd done and was disgusted with himself. But Daichi had reassured him that he only did what had to be done. That there was no shame in taking a life in defense of one's own. Furthermore he pointed out that sometimes killing was unavoidable. He likened his lesson to the slaying of the Red Death and the Orochi and Ryuiji had overcome his shame and become stronger for it.

Slowly Daichi reached a hand out and put it to the back of his head before pulling him down slightly so their foreheads touched. "You are my son," he said resolutely. "And you have a samurai's spirit. Don't ever forget that." He finished holding Ryuiji's gaze.

Ryuiji heart was touched by his words. With watery eyes he firmly nodded. With that Daichi stepped back and to his wife's side. Finally Kyoshi stepped forward. This was going to be the hardest goodbye yet.

The young men held each other gaze and remained silent, neither knowing what words to say. The Ryuiji raised his right arm and present his closed fist to Kyoshi, in their familiar gesture. "Goodbye my friend," he said with a sad smile.

Kyoshi eyes his hand for a moment before looking up at Kyoshi and snorting. "We are not friends," he said blankly. Ryuiji raised an eyebrow in confusion. Was he mad that he was leaving? He thought he'd been okay with it. Suddenly his eyes widened as Kyoshi stepped forward and hugged him. "We are brothers," he whispered to him. Ryuiji stood still for a moment before returning the hug. Then they pulled back.

Holding his gaze, Kyoshi started reaching for his Wakizashi. Pulling it out, he presented it to Ryuiji to take. Ryuiji raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "A final gift," Kyoshi explained.

The sword had been a gift from Ryuiji himself. During his observation of the Aois, Ryuiji discovered that after eating the rocks of in their canyon and melting in their stomach, they pooped out a unique type of black ore. Ryuiji collected the ore and was able to refine it into the Wakizashi. The black metal, dubbed Aoi steel, was incredibly light but harder than steel. Ryuiji had used some of it to make his collapsible staff. He still laughed when he remembered telling Kyoshi what it was made of. Kyoshi had chased him around threatening to cut his head off with his 'dragon shit sword'. He had presented the staff to the Shogun and recommended they begin making all weapons and armor out of it, but the Shogun politely rejected the offer, stating that the old way of doing things was already good enough. Ryuiji didn't argue with his judgment but had shown the smiths how to refine the ore, in case the Shogun or his son ever changed their minds in the future. Apparently his own armor had been made with the stuff, making it very light but also very strong.

"I can't take that Kyoshi. It's yours," he said politely.

Kyoshi chuckled and continued to hold it out toward him. "It was never mine. I was just holding for you," he said smiling. With a smile of his own, Ryuiji slowly extended his hand out to accept the sword. Then he tucked it into his belt next to his Katana. Looking up he saw Kyoshi holding out his closed fist toward him. He raised his own fist and they bumped them together.

At their sides, Amakage and Toothless were saying their goodbyes as well. They also saw each other as brothers and would miss each other dearly. They grunted at each other before bowing in respect to one another. Then they threw back their heads and shot their fires into the sky. They collided with a purple flash and they roared together.

Their riders chuckled beside them. With one last look to the princess and prince, he got a smile and a nod from each of them. He smiled back ad bowed. Then he placed his helmet on and mounted Toothless.

"Take care of my brother Amakage," he told the dragon, who snorted and nodded in response.

"And you take care of my brother Toothless. You know how he is," he said playfully. Toothless smiled at him and nodded. With a final look to everyone, Ryuiji gave Toothless the signal to fly. The dragon obliged and couched low before unfurling his wings and leaping into the air. Flapping to gain altitude, they hovered above the courtyard for one final look.

"YAHHHHHH BAAABY!" Kyoshi shouted from below. Amakage roared at his side.

Ryuiji smiled and chuckle underneath his helmet. Then he raised a fist to the sky and took a breath. "YEAHHHH BABY!" he shouted back. With that he directed Toothless away from the castle, looking back over his shoulder for a final glimpse and seeing everyone waving and shouting their goodbyes. As they were flying a loud roared suddenly got their attention.

Glancing to their right. They saw Raijin and his subjects perched on a cliff. Raijin roared again and bowed his head toward them. He was saying goodbye as well. Toothless roared back while Ryuiji shouted and waved before they continued on their way. They flew toward the ocean. Toothless knowing the route back home by instinct and memory.

As they reached the shores of Japan and began flying over the vast water and back towards home Ryuiji looked back over his shoulder. He didn't know if he would ever return to Japan. But he would never forget the adventures he'd had there.

So while he faced forward and towards his destination he felt a small spark of excitement within him. He was going home. He would see his father and his people. He wondered if anybody would recognize him now. He wondered if they'd believe all the things he'd accomplished in the almost six years he'd been gone.

They'd better be ready. Because while he may have left as 'the worst Viking in history', he was returning a Samurai.

And he'd never let anybody convince him that he was weak ever again.

* * *

**Get ready Berk. He's coming home.**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Samurai**

It was the day before the annual celebration of Berk's peace with the dragons. This holiday had been started by Stoick the Vast as a means of honoring his son's sacrifice and celebrating their new way of life. All around the village people were setting up decorations for tomorrow's celebration. They were all anxious to see the dragon sky parade the academy put on every year on this day and Bork week. There would be a feast tomorrow as well and the people would use that to toast to Hiccup and reminisce about the old days.

With no classes today Astrid decided to walk through the village and help set up decoration where she could. She smiled at seeing her people in such high spirits. She was feeling the joy of the holiday too as she fondly remembered this was to commemorate her relationship with Stormfly. Yet there was also a pang of sadness in her heart. For tomorrow would mark the six year disappearance of her tribe's heir. Astrid always got melancholy on that day. She just wished she knew where Hiccup had gone. Apart of her wanted to just believe he'd died. At least that way she'd have some closure. But she just couldn't accept it. Her heart wouldn't let her.

As she was walking throughout the village her gaze suddenly shifted to the docks. And to her surprise she saw Trader Johan's ship there. With a smile she ran down to see the man and browse through his selection of items. Yet when she got there she was surprised to discover he wasn't on his ship. A sailor informed her that he was having a meal at the great hall. So she started jogging in that direction to meet him.

Trader Johan always had some interesting things from his travels. She always took a look through his selection to see what she could get. As she was halfway up the village she spied the chief heading in the same direction.

"Stoick," she called out to the big man in greeting.

Stoick stopped and turned around to look at her. He smiled when he saw her and waited for her to join him. "Well hello there Astrid. Headed up to the great hall?" he asked.

"Yes sir. Trader Johan is here and I wanted to see what he had in stock today," she explained.

The chief chuckled. "Just so happens that I'm going to see him too. Care to join me?"

Astrid nodded and walked at the chief's side. She liked the big man. She looked up to him. The chief was a man with a good heart and cared so much for his people. And he had trusted her with the Dragon Academy. It showed how much faith in her abilities he had.

The chief liked Astrid too. As he asked her about the sky parade tomorrow he thought how she would have made an excellent daughter in law. She was strong, brave, stubborn, intelligent, and beautiful. She was what every Viking wanted in a wife. He'd know that his son had developed feeling for her when he was still around. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened between them now.

When they reached to doors to the great hall Stoick opened them and allowed Astrid to pass. She thanked him before entering and searching for Johan. Stoick entered behind her and did the same. After a few moments they spotted Johan at a table at the far side of the room with Gobber. SO they started to approach. As they got closer it appeared Johan and Gobber were arguing about something.

"Oh you're crazy, that's impossible," Gobber said.

"I'm telling you I saw one," Johan said insistent. Gobber just waved a hand dismissively at whatever Johan was claiming to have seen.

"Hello Johan," Stoick called out when he was within earshot.

The man dressed in decorative furs turned and greeted the chief with a smile. "Ah, Stoick the Vast. Good to see you once again," he said respectfully.

Stoick nodded in acknowledgment. "What were you two talking about then?" he asked curiously.

"Johan here says he saw a samurai," Gobber said rolling his eyes.

The chief and Astrid remained silent. They were completely clueless.

"What's a samurai?" Astrid asked, echoing the chief's thought.

Gobber took a gulp from his mug hand before answering. "Samurai are warriors from the land of the rising sun," he answered simply. That didn't really help Astrid and Stoick much. They'd never heard of this land. Not many of the tribe traveled out of the water of the archipelago. Gobber was an exception. He had traveled to many different lands in his youth, making him very knowledgeable about the world.

"Where is this place?" Stoick asked.

Gobber sighed in annoyance. _These people don't know anything_, he thought to himself. "The land of the rising sun, or Japan, is a land very far from here. It would take almost a year by ship just to get there. Which is why it's impossible to have seen a samurai," he said looking to Johan.

Johan bristled at Gobbers dismissal of his claim. "I'm telling you I saw one. He appeared out of nowhere and saved me from those damned Vandals," Johan insisted.

The chief's ears perked at the mention of the Vandals. They were becoming more and more infamous over the months. Berk had yet to be attacked but they were keeping their eyes open. "When and where were you attacked Johan?" he asked. He needed to know more about this.

Johan looked at the chief and nodded. Then he paused to take a swig of mead while Astrid and Stoick took a seat. As Johan started telling his story other villagers gathered. They also wanted to hear what happened.

"So I was on Fenrir's Teeth doing some business when the Vandals attacked. And that was when the samurai appeared," Johan began.

* * *

Flashback

Johan was in the waters of the Meathead tribe. He had pulled his ship ashore onto Fenrir's Teeth to do some business with some friends of his from the Meathead tribe. Fenrir's Teeth was a small island with enormous rock formation jutting out of it. The cliff's resembled the fangs of a great best and that's where the island got its name.

Johan was conducting some business with some old friends. There was Calder, his wife Ingrid, their daughter Brenna, and Calder's father, Arvid. The family were fishermen within the meathead tribe and were hauling their catch back home when they passed by Johan. Deciding to catch up and do some business they pulled their ship ashore alongside his.

"And here I have a special perfume that will drive your husband mad with desire," he said holding up a vial to Ingrid. Ingrid smiled but politely turned him down. Johan only laughed goodheartedly. "Of course not. Why would you need this? I bet you already do that to him," he said with a wink. Ingrid blushed and slapped him on the shoulder playfully. It was always good to compliment his customer. The friendlier the relationship the better the business.

"And what about you Arvid. I see that cane of yours is looking a little…how should I say it…worn," he said finding the right words. Arvid looked at his can and he conceded his view. Jumping rummaging through his ship he pulled out a new walking stick and presented it to Arvid. "Now here is a cane. Feel that wood. High quality. You'll get some good miles out of this one. I guarantee it," he said. Arvid looked the cane over before accepting it. He handed over two pieces of silver in payment which Johan gladly accepted.

Lastly he set his eyes on their daughter, Brenna. She was a young girl, about 17 if he remembered correctly. As he watched her browse through his items he noticed her eyes were drawn to things like brushes, earrings, hair clips, and other thing young ladies used to fix themselves up and add to their appearance.

Rummaging through his ship he found something she might like. He walked up to her and presented it for her to examine. "Hello miss Brenna. I must say you've grown into quite the young lass since I last saw you," he said with a smile. Brenna blushed and smiled back. "You take after your mother. Your eyes are that same beautiful brown. But if you really want to bring them out, might I suggest this," he said holding up some charcoal grey eye shadow. "You'll be beating those lads off with a stick with this," he assured her.

"Oh no. My daughter doesn't need any of that," Calder said. He didn't like the idea of young lads looking at his 'baby girl'.

"Oh Calder let her have it. She's a lady now," her mother defended.

Calder grumbled before relenting and asking what he wanted in trade.

Johan looked at the excited Brenna and smiled. "Free of charge," he told Calder. Then he placed it in the young girl's palm which she giddily accepted. Johan smiled to himself at having made the girl happy. Happy customers was what was most important to him and eye shadow wasn't worth too much anyway so it wasn't a major loss.

Suddenly Arvid called out sharply and pointed to two approaching vessels. The group looked out to sea to find two ships approaching quickly. Their faces paled as they noticed the purple sails.

"Johan. Is that—," Calder began to ask slowly.

"Yes Calder. It is," he said lowly. It was the Vandals. They had started becoming big new on the waters. They were fierce marauder who attacked and raided vessels found on the waters without mercy. They were very daring coming so deep into Meathead territory. Quickly he scooped up a cloak and gave it to a shaking Brenna. She put it on and pulled the hood up. It was too late to run, they were too close and they would still have to get their own ships back into the water. So Johan ushered everyone off his ship and told them to let him do all the talking.

The Vandals pulled their ships ashore before stepping off. To Johan's chagrin, there were ten of them all armed and dangerous.

"Greetings gentleman," he called out jovially.

The Vandals ignored him as they started surveying the ships and the passengers. Johan had dealt with marauders before. He could usually outrun them with his ship but that wasn't an option now. The Vandals started making their way over to Calder's family. They looked them over to see if they could spot anything valuable on their person's. When they came to Brenna, they stopped and looked her over. Brenna hid her face as much as she could in nervousness. Slowly a vandal began reaching out to pull her hood down when Calder stepped in front of her.

"Don't touch my child," he snarled angrily.

The Vandal narrowed his eyes at the man. "A brave one then? Going to be a hero then daddy?" the man asked with an evil sneer. Calder only continued to glare. The Vandal drew the sword at his side. "Step aside man," he growled. Calder didn't back down. He would defend his daughter to the death if he had too. The man raised his sword to finish him off but Johan suddenly appeared, squeezing himself in between the Calder and the Vandal.

"Now, now my good man. Surely we don't need to resort to violence," Johan said in an attempt to dispel the tension.

The Vandal glared at Johan. "Gonna fight in his place then Trader?" the man said.

"Me. Heavens no. I'm a man of business, not violence. And I couldn't help but notice that your sword look a little…how should I say it…worn," Johan began. The man cocked an eyebrow curiously. "No real surprise considering your line of work. But if you'll just give me a moment," he said before scurrying off and onto his ship. When he returned he had a brand new sword. "Now try this," he said offering the sword to the man.

The Vandal took it and gave it a swing. Johan could tell he liked the feel of the weapon. "See that. A brand new sword. Excellent condition. Perfect balance and sharpness. Much better than your ratty old sword," he said. Johan had learned in past encounter with marauder that if you could satisfy them with some plunder they would go away.

"How about you gents?" he asked looking to the other Vandals. "Some new weapons for all of you?" he offered. In the next few minutes Johan ran back and forth from his ship and too the Vandals passing out some new weapons for them. The Vandals all looked as excited as a children on Snoggletog at their new equipment. "See. How about you take those free of charge and we call it a day. No one gets hurt and we all get what we want," Johan said good naturedly.

The Vandals seemed to consider his offer. He was about to release a breath in relief when a shout from Brenna caught his attention. He turned around to see a Vandal had pulled her hood down and was dragging her away from her parents. She was screaming in terror as her parents tried to puller her back but were pushed down and held at bay by the Vandals.

"Come now gents surely this isn't necessary," Johan insisted. He had to save Brenna. He knew what marauders would do to a young girl like her.

"As you said trader. We'll take what we want and we'll go. And we want the girl," the man said with an evil smile.

Johan looked back to Brenna who was still being held by a Vandal. He was running his hands up her form as she whimpered and struggled helplessly. "Look, why don't you just take the whole ship and leave the girl. She's not worth nearly as much as my selection," he offered desperately.

"Oh don't undervalue the company of a fine lass trader. Being at sea can get very lonely," the man said darkly. Johan stepped forward to argue with the man when he found a sword at his throat. "Step back trader. Unless you want to die for this girl," the man said in warning.

Johan glared at the man. He wanted to save Brenna. Really he did. But there were ten of them. Johan, while no stranger to fighting, knew he wasn't a match for their numbers. He threw Brenna a sorrowful look and stepped back. His heart clenched at seeing her release a tear as her parent called out to her in anguish.

_~Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho!~_

Suddenly came a voice. Glancing around in surprise the Vandals attempted to locate its origin.

_~Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho!~_

_~Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho!~_

_~Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho!~_

The sing song voice's origin couldn't be pinpointed. It seemed to bouncing off the cliffs and emanating from everywhere. The Vandals started drawing their weapons as they continued to scan the rocks for the person singing.

_~Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo~_

_~Umikaze kimikase namimakase~_

The voice just continued to sing. Irritating an unnerving the Vandals. "Who's out there" one of them called out with a snarl.

"Show yourself," another demanded.

But the voice just continued to sing.

_~Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu~_

_~Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta~_

_~Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho!~_

Johan could recognize some of the words as a language coming from the east. He was sure he'd heard the song being sung by sailors from there.

_~Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho!~_

_~Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho!~_

_~Yo-hohoho Yo-hohoho!~_

Suddenly the voice stopped singing as a person stepped out of the shadow being cast by the cliff. Everyone stared at this person in surprise. How long had he'd been here? Who was he? What was he wearing? The man was clad in some kind of black armor. The likes of which none of them had ever seen before. At his hip were curved swords and on his head was a spiked helmet. The man was looking down at the moment, staring intently at his feet as his arms hung at his sides.

"So what are you doing here lad? Get lost from your mother?" one of the Vandals cackled. They were feeling more at ease as they took the person in. He was small and a little scrawny for his size. They didn't see him as much of a threat.

The man looked up. They could see his eyes were green. As they looked at him they noticed he was glaring at them. The Vandal in front of Johan scowled and turned to face the man.

"Leave now boy. Or you die," he said darkly. The man just stood there. From his posture and body language, he wasn't intimidated at all. As the Vandal took a step closer the man crouched low and put a hand onto the hilt of his longest sword.

"You want to fight me then boy?" the man barked out. "Is that it then?" the man just kept his stance. Not backing down nor drawing his weapon either. At this the Vandal had had enough of his attitude. With a war cry he charged with his sword at the ready. Everyone watched as the man made no attempt to move. Even when the Vandal was getting closer he didn't even draw his weapons.

The Vandals cheered their comrade on. Urging him to kill the man in one blow. Just as the charging Vandal was within swinging distance and the man's swords was still sheathed, he pulled back his sword arm to strike. Then in the blink of an eye the man drew his weapon and slashed at the Vandal before sheathing his sword. Then he quickly stood up and stepped around the Vandal as he barreled passed him.

Everyone watched in shock. What had he done? Had the Vandal even been harmed? Suddenly the Vandal dropped his sword. But on second glance that wasn't the case. The Vandal's arm had been cut clean off. The Vandal dropped to the ground and cried out in agony as he clutched his bleeding stump. The other Vandals just started dumbfounded as their comrade suddenly cried out some garbled words they couldn't understand.

"What?" one of them spoke aloud.

The man in the armor drew his sword once more. He let it hang in his hand at his side as he reached out with his left hand and drew his other one. "He's in shock," the man said finally speaking up for the first time.

The Vandal's looked at him in surprise. Having just heard his voice they could tell he was definitely a younger man.

"He said 'kill him'," the man said. Then he crossed his arms over his chest with his swords point up at his sides and stood there waiting for them to charge. They obliged, with war cries they rushed to avenge their downed comrade. The man waited for them to come before stepping back into the shadows. The Vandals rushed after him one by one.

The only Vandal to not rush in was the one still holding Brenna. Everyone was too shocked to move. They kept their eyes trained on the shadows as they waited for the winning side to reappear. They could hear a struggles happening within the darkness. They could hear metal clanging against metal as well as the cries of pain from the marauders. Everyone waited anxiously for what felt like hours until they could see a figure stepping out.

It was the man. His swords were dripping blood as he walked out. It didn't look like he'd been touched at all. He stalked forward slowly, pausing to slash the downed marauder from before across the throat before continuing. His target it seemed was the last marauder. The marauder could feel himself shaking. This man had killed nine of his comrades singlehandedly. Now he was coming after him.

With a cry of terror he pushed Brenna to the side and pulled out the crossbow on his back. Loading a bolt he aimed and fired at the approaching man. But the man simply blocked, swatting the bolt away like it was nothing. The Vandal reloaded before firing again. And once again the man knocked the bolt away as he continued forward.

The Vandal eventually realized the futility of his crossbow and threw it aside. He held up a hand in an attempt to stop the man. "Wait please. Just wait," the man begged as he kept his palm out toward the man. Then he cried out in pain as the man slashed four of his fingers off. The Vandal fell to his knees in pain and cried out. He clutched at his bleeding hand and attempt to stop the bleeding. He looked up to see the man standing directly over him.

"Demon," the Vandal whispered. This man had to be a demon. Sent from Hel itself. "Mercy," he whimpered in one last attempt to save his life.

Everyone remained silent as the man just stood there watching the Vandal. Then he raised his swords to his sides. In one quick movement he crossed them in front of him on an X shape and sliced the man's head off. It rolled off and the man's body fell over backwards. Then the man shook the blood off his weapons and sheathed his swords before turning to Brenna.

Brenna and everyone froze. What was he going to do? He had just killed ten marauders by himself. There was no way they could stop him. Suddenly he took a step towards Brenna who was sitting on the ground. She flinched and squeaked in terror before shutting her eyes. But as she sat there, no attack came. Opening an eye just a crack she looked dup tot the man who was extending a hand down to her.

She eyed the hand before hesitantly reaching up and taking it. The man pulled her up gently. And she could see the kindness in his green eyes.

Johan and Brenna's family watched, stunned as the man pulled her up. Suddenly the man reached his hands up and pulled off his helmet. No one but Brenna could see his face as the other were at his back and side. He seemed to ask Brenna something which she nodded too before putting his helmet back on and stepping to the side. Brenna immediately ran to her family who wrapped her in their arms. Then they watched as the man went to Johan's ship and jumped aboard. They heard him rummaging around before reappearing and walking up to Johan.

Johan could spy some of his stock in the man's hand sand took a good look. The man was holding some paper, a stick of charcoal, a quill pen, and a pot of squid ink. This man was going to buy something now? Johan was so dumbfounded that he didn't hear the man ask him a question.

"Will a gold coin be enough in trade?" the man repeated.

Johan shook his head and snapped out of his stupor. He nodded and watched as the man reached a free hand into his armor before pulling out a gold coin. He extended his hand and placed it not Johan's open one before nodding and walking around him. Johan turned to watch him walk back into the shadows and disappear.

Johan stared after him. No man could take on ten men by himself. Well…may Stoick the Vast could. He looked in his palm to find a gold coin. It was strange though. It had a square shaped hole in the center. Suddenly it all clicked together. The words to his song, the man's swords, this coin. That man was from Japan. He was one of those samurai he'd heard of. He wondered what one of them would be doing all the way in the archipelago before he decided to leave it for later. He walked toward Calder's family to see if Brenna was ok.

She thanked him for trying to help her and he nodded.

"What did he say to you?" Johan asked curiously.

"He asked if I was ok," Brenna answered. Then her face broke into a goofy grin and she released a dreamy sigh. "He was so handsome," she whispered aloud.

The adults exchanged glances. They didn't know why the man had helped them. And they didn't care. They just thanked the gods that he had shown up when he did.

* * *

Everyone in the great hall remained silent as Johan finished his story.

"So ten men?" Astrid asked speaking up. "All by himself?"

Johan nodded.

"I still say you're crazy," Gobber said shaking his head. This stared another bout of arguing between him and Johan.

Stoick cut in and began asking Johan more details about the Vandals. They were getting bolder. Going right into a tribes' territory. They were going to have to keep on guard from now on.

Astrid was impressed by whoever this man was. He was obviously a kind man since he rescued the family and their daughter. Not to mention he had to be an amazing fighter. To take on ten men by himself. That was something that maybe only Stoick was capable of.

Astrid turned her thoughts from the samurai to Stoick's conversation with Johan. She needed to focus on the Vandals too. She could feel a confrontation with them was going to happen sooner or later.

And she would be sure she was ready.

* * *

**New chapter. Anyone who had read Kunoichi's Way knows i like a little anime flare. I just couldn't resist.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Returned**

Astrid was having a bad dream. It's one she had occasionally. It's born out of shame, guilt, and sorrow. In it she's her younger self. She was standing on the shores of Dragon Island and watching Hiccup, his Night Fury, and the Read Death battle in the sky. She couldn't tear her eyes away. She saw the sky flash as if lighting had crashed and illuminated the figure of the monstrous dragon. She could hear the call of the Night Fury as the boy she loves is battling to save them all.

Then suddenly the whole sky was lit up by its fire. A few moments later the Night Fury was diving towards the ground with the Red Death in pursuit. The monster opened its gaping mouth to burn the Night Fury and its rider alive when in a blue flash the Fury sets the Red Death's mouth on fire. Then the black dragon opened its wings before pulling up and away as the monster was sent crashing towards the ground. The fireball was intense. Astrid is forced to look away but squints to spare a glimpse toward the sky.

What she sees made her stomach drop to her feet. It was Hiccup falling into the flames. She reached a hand out and cried out in anguish but it does nothing. She doesn't know why her mind shows her this. Maybe it was trying to bring her closure. Maybe she blamed herself and the guilt forced her to watch this. All she knows is she hated it. It broke her heart every time.

She fell to her knees and she started to cry. Her whole body racked with sobs as she attempted in vain to hold back tears. She expected herself to wake up now. It's what usually happens. But she doesn't. She opened her eyes and glanced down at her hands. They're different. They're bigger and aged. Glancing down she realizes she was her 20 year old self now. This had never happened. She rose to her feet and glanced around. It's all milky white round her. She can't make out anything. Suddenly her warrior sense tells her there was a presence behind her.

She turned around to find a building in front of her. She couldn't make out much details about the building. Only that's it was wooden and almost two stories. As her eyes wandered over the structure she gasped when she spotted something at the top. Or someone.

There was a man standing at the top of the building. He was tall and thin. He was gazing down at her. But she can't make out his face. All she could make out were his clothes. Green tunic with brown pants and a fur vest. All familiar.

"Hiccup," she whispered while gazing up at the man.

Then everything faded away as she suddenly sits up in her bed. She was breathing hard and her mind and heart were racing. She had dreamed of Hiccup as a man. But why? Hiccup wasn't there. Shaking her head she threw back the covers of her bed and got ready for the day. It was the day of the village's anniversary with the peace with their dragons. Or as some people call it, 'Red Death Redemption Day'. She had to do the sky parade with the academy. She was looking forward to that at least.

Still, she sighed as this whole day reminds her of Hiccup. The day's only just begun and she already wanted it to be over.

* * *

"So bud, what should we call this place?" Ryuiji asked his scaly companion as he sketched the island they were on onto his ever growing map of the archipelago. At his side Toothless sneezed and wrinkled his nose. "Good idea bud. We'll call it 'Achoo'," he said as he continued his sketching.

Ryuiji had been back in Viking territory for a little over a month now. But he'd yet to return to Berk. So he was prolonging his return by making a map of uncharted islands. As he sketched he stared thinking about this new group of marauders that seemed to be popping up everywhere. The Vandals they called themselves. Ryuiji had run into several groups of these unsavory people already. The first group consisted of five who'd stumbled into his camp and tried to rob him. Big mistake. He'd killed them all. Then there was the time he saved this family who'd been attacked on their island. He'd killed all but one, the last man escaping a hand down. Then he attacked a ship on the open waters. Then there was the time he saved Trader Johan and that family from another group. Lastly he attacked a group attacking a company of Bob Burglars. This group was very bold. To enter so deep and raid in the territory of a powerful tribe such as the Meatheads and Bob Burglars. He wondered how long this group had been around. He hadn't heard of them before he'd left.

A croon pulled him from his thoughts. He turned and looked into the large round orbs of Toothless. The dragon cocked his head to the side and crooned again while flicking his gaze out towards the ocean. "I know bud, you're wondering why we haven't gone back to Berk," he said. The dragon nodded in confirmation. Ryuiji rubbed the back of his head. "It's just…what the Hel do I say when we get there? I've been gone for six whole years," he said gesturing to the air. "Not to mention, oh yeah, I was banished," he added.

"Do I just fly into town and say 'Hey everybody! It's me. Sorry about disappearing like that, but I'm back now. Oh and if you could please not execute me for returning that'd be swell'," he said in exasperation. It technically was forbidden for him to return. His father had cast him out. But then again, they'd reconciled on Dragon Island. Maybe he'd repeal his judgment? Dad has never been one to go back on his words though, he thought with a snort.

He sat back with a sigh, unsure of what to do. He was afraid to return. He admitted it to himself. He was afraid of the unknown. Would he be welcome? Would they still treat him as an outcast? Would he be killed?

A croon caused him to turn his head back to Toothless. He saw that the dragon was holding his swords in his mouth. With a smile he reached out and took them. "You're right bud. I'm a samurai now. And one of the principles of Bushido is courage," he said standing up. He looked out towards the horizon with determination.

"Let's go home bud."

* * *

Stoick was in the great hall as he speaks to a clan seeking to join the Hooligan tribe. They are called the Solstice clan and are recounting their recent encounter with the Vandals. This group raided their small island and nearly made off with the clan head's middle daughter. But like a miracle a mysterious person that matched the description of this samurai Johan talked about appeared out of nowhere and saved them. Then he just vanished. After that the clan head decided it was best that they join a tribe and set out on a few week trip to Berk to petition their admission into the tribe.

"And that's why we've come to you Stoick," Gaer, the clan head, said.

Stoick rubbed his bearded chin as he took in their story. Seated next to Gaer are his family. There was his wife, then there was his oldest daughter, holding her baby boy, her husband, her younger sister, and her youngest sister. They are there to represent their clan.

"Why have you chosen the Hooligans?" Stoick asked curiously. It's a fair question. There are many tribes they could choose from.

"We've heard that you are a kind and fair leader. Plus we have friends here," he answered while turning his head and nodding to Silent Sven. Sven is here vouching for Gaer's clan. Their families were apparently friends.

Stoick continued to rub his beard while he mulled it over.

"We haven't come empty handed either Stoick. We've brought yaks, chickens, boars, timber for building are own houses, we can fish, my daughters are skilled healers, my son in law a blacksmith, and we have trade agreements with other tribes that can benefit Berk," he said offering added incentive.

"You understand that if I allow you to join the tribe, you will have to swear loyalty to me," Stoick added. The Solstice clan have never been in a tribe before. They've always stuck to themselves. It's important that they know Stoick will be their leader.

"Indeed we do Stoick. But a tribe is safer. And the safety of my grandchild and family is the most important thing in the world to me," Gaer said.

Stoick took in his answer and smiled. Then he stood up in his seat and extended a hand across the table. "Then welcome to the Hooligans," Stoick said proudly. Gaer smiled and his family all sighed in relief. Gaer took Stoick's hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Thank you, chief," Gaer said adding the last part respectfully.

"You'll have to bunk in the great hall for now until we get you some houses built," Stoick informed him. Gaer nodded in acceptance.

Suddenly a gasp caught their attention. They turned to see the youngest daughter staring in wonder at a Terrible Terror that's crawled up onto the table for some food scraps. She's nervous and enthralled as she reached a hand out toward the small dragon. It looked back at her curiously and cocked its head to the side.

Stoick smiled. "The dragons might take some getting used to," he said with a chuckle. Gaer nodded in agreement. "But the dragons are all friendly on Berk if you treat them right. Today is our celebration of our peace with them. You're all in for quite a sight," he said with a smile. He watched as the little girl stroked the Terror nervously before it crawled onto her shoulder and nuzzled her face. The girl smiled and giggled happily.

Stoick smiled at the new additions to the tribe. Seems like they would get along nicely. Still, his thoughts lingered on the Vandals. It seems they were intent on capturing women. Stoick knew what the implication of that meant. Then there was this samurai that kept showing up. Who was this man?

* * *

Stormfly was in her stable resting after her performance in the sky parade. She was waiting patiently for her human to bring her a treat when the door to the stable burst open, startling her and making her ail spines stand at attention. But with a glance she calmed down when she saw it was her rider.

Astrid slammed the door behind her before stomping up to Stormfly with a bucket of chicken legs. She was angry. Her parents have just informed her that a suitor will be arriving in a few weeks that she will have to meet. It seemed like they had been discussing this for some time without telling her. When she expressed that she had no interest in meeting her they threatened to ground her.

They were insistent that she meet this man and start considering accepting the idea of marrying him. Astrid argued that she would rather just be a shield maiden for the rest of her life. It's not a crazy idea, she wouldn't be the only Viking girl to never get married. But her parents argued that she needs to keep the Hofferson bloodline going. That it's her duty to her family. That made her feel guilty. Astrid had no siblings so if she doesn't marry the Hofferson clan ends with her.

Then they revealed that they know the true reason she's so keen on not marrying. That she'd been waiting for Hiccup. They told her how futile it was to wait on a person who was likely dead. They said that if he was ever coming back he'd have done so already. They told her she needs to grow up and start thinking about her future. She had nothing to say back to them. So she stomped off and said she needed to feed Stormfly.

The Nadder looked up from her chicken and squawked at her rider. Astrid smiled and started stroking her horn lovingly. "Maybe my parents are right girl," Astrid said. Their words struck her deep. "Maybe I do need to move on. Maybe he really is gone," she whispered aloud. Stormfly stepped forward to nuzzle the girl in affection.

Astrid smiled and hugged the dragon's head. "I'm gonna start looking for a suitor girl. I mean, nothing wrong with just looking right?" Astrid nodded to herself. She wanted to feel good about this. But it just felt like she was giving up. And she's never been one to do that.

With a sigh she slumped back against the wall of the stable and sank to the floor. She then brought her knees to her chest and hugged them. Stormfly lowered herself and placed her head beside her rider's legs. Offering a much comfort as she could.

"Where are you Hiccup?"

* * *

A few hours later the majority of the village was gathered in the great hall. It was time for the feast. Everyone was in a jovial mood. Sprits are highs as the villagers talked about the sky parade earlier and eat, drink, sing, and fight till their hearts were content. Stoick smiled as he took in the state of his people. But unfortunately he couldn't find as much enthusiasm for this day as they could.

This day always reminded him of his son. Who he had no idea if he was still alive. Secondly, like every year the elders and council have once again been pushing him to name an heir. He knew that he'd been putting the village in a tight spot by not choosing a successor. But he could never bring himself to do it. The title of heir was his son's birthright.

But if something were to happen to Stoick the village could fall into chaos without someone to lead. Spitelout, his brother in law, suggested his son Snotlout. While he admits the boy was too arrogant and pig headed, he argued that he was a good warrior and given time he could be taught to lead the village. Gobber and a majority of the elders suggested Astrid. Stoick was leaning more on the girl. She was smart, skilled, a natural leader, and good example of what a Viking should be.

The only problem was that she was a girl. Vikings rarely had female chieftains. With the only exception being Big Boobed Bertha of the Bob Burglars. The elders don't know if Berk is ready for a female leader. While Berk had gone through many changes over the last few years it was important to stick to the old ways on certain things.

"Everything ok Stoick?" Gobber asked to the chief's right.

Stoick looked to his friend ad sighed. "Am I a fool Gobber?" he asked his friend. He should've declared his son dead years ago. If it were anyone else he would have already. But he could never bring himself to do it.

"I think you're a father that's lost a lot," Gobber said reassuringly. He knew his friend had lost a lot. His wife and then his son. It was amazing that the chief had kept going all these years.

Stoick remained silent for a moment. "I need to let him go Gobber," Stoick tried to say with resolve. He needed to think about the future of Berk. It had been six years and no sign had been seen of Hiccup. He had to move on.

Gobber sighed at his side. "That would probably be best," he said in agreement.

Stoick nodded before making his way to the stage at the back of the great hall. He was determined to make his declaration. It was time to stop living in the past. Stepping up onstage the villagers became silent as they looked toward their chief, curious as to what he had to say.

"Evening everyone," the chief called out in his booming vice. "I hope you are all having a good time on our sixth annual 'Red Death Redemption Day'," at his inquiry the crowd raised their mugs and gave a hearty cheer. Stoick bellowed out in laughter. "Good. Good. I'm glad that we're at peace with the dragons now. I never would have thought I'd see the day when we'd lice alongside them. I hope we can continue this peace for generations to come," everyone murmured and nodded in agreement.

"Now I'd like to thanks Astrid Hofferson and her friends at the academy for their time and efforts with the dragons. And how about that sky parade?" he said clapping to the young people. Then village raised the mugs and clapped along with him while looking to the riders' tables. The riders nodded in acceptance of their praise and smiled proudly. "I'd also like to welcome Gaer and the Solstice clan to the Hooligan tribe," he added motioning to Gaer's family. The villagers once again lifted their mugs and welcomed his family.

"Now I also have a declaration to make," Stoick said silencing the crowd. When they all looked at him in inquiry he cleared his throat to continue. "For too long I have put this off. As a father I just couldn't bring myself to give up on my son," he began. The villagers' hearts went out to their chief. They knew what he was trying to tell them. "But it's time I look to Berk's future. So I, Stoick the Vast, chieftain of Berk and leader of the Hairy Hooligan tribe, announce my son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," he paused to swallow the lump in his throat. This was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He took on final breath to finish his declaration when the doors to the great hall suddenly burst open.

"We're under attack! It's the Vandals!" A frantic villager shouted.

Stoick's eyes widened at the man's words. But he immediately shook off his surprise and started issuing orders. He ordered approximately half the fighter in the hall to start pushing back the vandals while the women and children remain inside and the other half guard them. The villagers leapt into action. Astrid was among the group going out to face the marauders.

She was determined to defend her home. When she reached the outside she saw villagers and dragons engaging the marauders. The dragons were a huge help, but unfortunately they couldn't use their fire for risk of burning the village down. Astrid ran to the armory. As quickly as she could she snatched up a battle axe and charged into the fight. She would have preferred her own but she didn't have the time to run to her home and get it.

All around the Hooligans are engaging the Vandals. A villager informs Stoick that they appeared to have come from the rear of the island. Stoick cursed under his breath. He'd lowered the village's guard for the celebration. He also wouldn't have expected anyone to attack them. No one picked a fight with Berk anymore due to their dragons.

Stoick didn't bother grabbing a weapon as he leapt into the fray and started swinging and downing the invaders left and right. As Astrid fought off the marauders Stormfly had located her and had started fighting alongside her. The loyal dragon sent the invaders flying and kept others at bay with her spines when they tried to flank her rider. Astrid deftly wielded her axe as she fought and against the invaders as they charged her. Gripping the handle of her axe securely in her hand she jabbed it into the ribs of the current Vandal she was fighting. It was a large man with black hair and a hook hand. He stumbled back from the blow ad glared at her. Astrid glared back and readied herself for another attack when an alarmed squawk from behind her caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder to see Stormfly on the ground, entangled and ensnared by bolas the Vandals had brought.

The Vandal facing Astrid took advantage of her momentary distraction and stepped forward, hooking his hook hand around the handle of her axe and ripping it form her grip with a sharp tug. Astrid cursed herself for getting distracted and turned back to face the man only to be met with a hard kick to the stomach. She doubled over in pain and gasped for air when he kicked her in the chest hard enough to send her to the floor. She was at his mercy as he had a sword pointed at her. She crawled backward until she was pressed up against Stormfly and glared up defiantly at the man.

"One chance lass. Come with us. Be my lass or I kill you and your dragon," the man said with an evil smile.

"Never," Astrid spat back at him.

The man narrowed his eyes at her disrespect. Then he lifted his sword up and cocked back his shoulder, ready to finish her off. Astrid could only wait for him to attack. The Vandal glared into her eyes until something caught his attention. Glancing passed her she saw his face pale and his eyes widened. Suddenly he lowered his sword and he stared taking steps backs. Astrid furrowed her brows in confusion. He totally had her at his mercy. What happened?

"It can't be. Not you again," the Vandal whispered, fear and dread evident in his voice.

Astrid slowly rose to her feet before glancing over her shoulder, following the man's gaze. Behind her was a building, and she let her eyes wander up it until it stopped at the top. Astrid gasped at what she saw.

It was a man. A man was standing at the top of the building, gazing down at what could have been the Vandal or her. He was clad in black armor the likes of which shed never seen. And at his left hip were two curved swords.

"Demon," she heard the Vandal whisper. She silently agreed. In the low light the man's eyes couldn't be seen. There were only two black pits in his helmet that made him look as if he was a being sent from the gates of Helheim itself. The man stepped forward and off the roof, landing in a crouch before walking slowly forward. The Vandal backed away, shaking in fear as he kept his eyes glued to the man.

Astrid didn't know if the man was friend or foe. Not taking any chances, she grabbed her axe and pointed it at him. He stopped and turned his gaze to her. "Don't move stranger," Astrid demanded lowly. "What are you doing here? Are you friend or foe?" she asked harshly.

The man stared down at her axe before his head lifted back up to her. "Baka," he said.

Astrid raised an eyebrow in confusion. What did that word mean? 'Baka'? She felt like she'd been insulted. The man took a step forward, before she could warn him he suddenly snatched the axe away from her with surprising strength for someone his size. Then he swept her legs out from under her. Before she could get back on her feet he placed a foot onto her shoulder and held her down. She looked up at him in surprise only to be met with the blade of her axe in her face.

"That's for pointing a weapon at me," the man said. She felt as if he was glaring at her. Then he shifted the axe and bounced the handle of it on her solar plexus before catching it back in his hand. Astrid wheezed and gasped as the air had been knocked out of her. "And that's for everything else," the man said before swinging the axe to his left and cutting Stormfly's bindings.

Stormfly immediately rose up and screeched at the armored man pinning down her human. She flared her wings op and raised her tail up in warning and sniffed at the man. Then suddenly, and to Astrid's surprise, she squawked curiously before her posture relaxed. She folded her wings to her sides and lowered her tail before cocking her head to the side curiously. Astrid remained on the ground, confused at her Nadder's change in posture. She looked like she saw the man as no threat. She was acting like she would if he'd been a villager. The man then dropped the axe and raised his hand up and presented his palm toward her. Stormfly stepped forward and placed her snout against it and purred happily. The man scratched her snout before stepping off Astrid and walking toward the Vandal again.

Astrid got up and watched the man. Who was he? Why did Stormfly act the way she did? Why were the things he said to her so familiar?

The Vandal recoiled in fear, his stump throbbing at the memory of the last time he'd encountered this man. Or whatever he was. "You've come back for me haven't you demon?" The Vandal asked in dread. The man remained silent as he advanced. All around the fighting had stopped as everyone's attention turned to this newcomer. The remaining Vandals all rushed to the aid of their comrade. They knew who this man was. They'd heard rumors of him killing off their people.

Stoick watched in fascination as the Vandals deemed this man to be more of a threat than his villagers. He heard them whisper amongst themselves, calling this strangely armored man a demon.

"_A Dark Demon or a Guardian of Twilight?"_ came a whisper beside Stoick. Stoick turned to see Gaer standing beside him. His eyes were trained on the armored man.

"What?" Stoick asked quietly.

"_Which of these two names will you believe once this tall warrior, clad in an armor as black as night, will stands before you? A "Demon" as he fought swift yet brutal to those who oppress.__  
__A "Guardian" as he will stand to fight for those who couldn't.__"_ Gaer whispered aloud.

Everyone watched as the man crouched low and placed a hand onto the hilt of his longest sword. He remained motionless as he waited for an attack. The Vandal around him were confused. They didn't know what they should do. Then three of them standing directly in front of the man exchanged glances and nodded. With war cries they charged forward with their weapons at the ready.

"No!" shouted the hook handed Vandal. But his warning came too late. The men had sealed their fates the moment they stepped within striking distance.

In the blink of an eyes and in a flash of moonlight the man drew his sword and slashed at the Vandals. He slashed at them from the left before gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands and swinging from the right. Then he spun and stepped around them before sheathing his sword and standing upright.

Everyone stood there in shock and confusion. They were amazed at the speed of his attack but had he done anything? Their questions were answered as the three Vandals collapsed. Blood pouring out of the slashed on their necks from the man's attacks.

"_His battles are short as he could finish his opponent before anyone can blink... and in another, all those against him have already fallen.__"__  
_

The Vandals were getting scared now. The hook handed Vandal had seen the man do that before. He knew the speed of the man's attack was inhuman.

The man drew is sword once more as he faced the rest of the Vandals. As he was about to step forward he was stopped by a shout to his left.

"Stop right there!" the man turned to see a Vandal holding a crying infant in his arm. A knife was raise above his head and the mother could be seen trying to get to her child but being held back by some villagers. "I'll kill the baby! I swear I will!" the man shouted in warning. His voice was quivering in fear as he spoke.

Behind the armored man a Vandal was sneaking up on him. Hoping to deal the death blow while he was distracted. As he came within striking distance and raised his weapon to attack he was snatched up by the shoulder and carried into the air. He released a terrified scream and he disappeared into the dark sky.

Everyone gaped in shock at what happened. They had no idea what happened to the man who had been sneaking up on the armored man. The man holding the baby was just as surprised and was staring up at the sky. The armored man used the distraction and charged forward. The Vandal's attention was suddenly drawn back to the man and he prepared to stab the infant. But before he could strike his hand was cut off in a flash before being kicked in the chest hard. The man stumbled back in a heap and the infant was tossed into the air. It cried and flailed before being caught by the armored man and cradled in his left arm.

The man turned and walked towards the infant's mother. Her eyes widened as he presented the baby out for her to take. She slowly did and brought the baby to her face to nuzzle and inspect before shedding tears of joy.

The armored man then trued around. He stared the Vandal's down and then placed his hand on the hilt of his other sword. Then he slowly drew it. Astrid narrowed her eyes as she saw that the sword was completely black.

The man took a step toward the Vandals, who took two steps back in response. They were sweating and gripping their weapons tightly in anxiety.

"_A sword is held high to protect, flashes like the moon to those who's against him.__  
__But once he draws the sword of the shadow..., eternal night awaits... as your days are done."_

The man stopped his advance as he stared at the marauder. They waited as he kept his swords at his sides. Then he surged forward. The Vandals gave war cries as they charged to meet him. Everyone watched as one by one the Vandals were cut down by this man. His longest sword flashed, reflecting the full moon's light as he slashed his opponents apart, removing hand, arms, and even heads as he fought. And his black sword, whatever it was made out of it had to be incredibly hard. It sliced clean through the wooden handles of axes and maces and bit into and cleaved through the steel of their swords. The man didn't even bother to defend himself from opponent coming from behind him. For when they tried to attack they were carried off into the sky by some unknown force.

Astrid couldn't take her eyes off the man. He had to be fighting at least ten, no more, men all by himself. And that's when she realized who he was. This man was the samurai Johan had spoken of. The one that had saved him and that family.

In just a few short moments only one Vandal remained. The one with the hook hand. He'd been too afraid to charge. When the man shifted his gaze toward him he flinched in terror. Then the man started to stalk toward him.

"No," the man whimpered out. "Please don't kill me," the man begged. The armored man wasn't listening as in a flash the man's remaining hand was gone. The Vandal fell to his knees as he brought his bleeding stump to his chest. He looked up into the face of the man.

"I gave you a chance when I let you live before. Now you'll lose more than your hand," the man said lowly. The Vandal continued to stare before he felt something cold and metallic pierce his chest. He looked down to see the black sword stabbing him in the heart. His whole body went cold as he coughed up blood and died.

The man pulled his sword free of the Vandal's body and shook the blood off his weapons. Then he sheathed them. The full moon illuminated his form as Stoick came forward. The man's gaze shifted towards him. Stoick gasped at what he saw.

"_Before he leaves, the last will be seen are his eyes that burn bright green to honor life...or judge death."_

The color of the man's eyes were familiar. And it wasn't just the color. Something about them called to his memory. Then a cloud passed overhead. Casting a shadow over the man and completely obscuring him from view.

"_And just like the shadows, he too vanishes."_

Then a beat of wings was heard before something loud touched down in the darkness where the armored man had been. Then the cloud passed and the light of the moon cast itself over the man once more. A gasp went through the crowd. There was something behind him.

Something big. Something black. It rose up into hind legs and stood behind the man protectively. It flares it wings open and growled lowly, shifting its toxic green eyes aroud and gazing at the villagers with menacing black slits.

_"But on the night when the moon shines its brightest, this heavenly light will show a glimpse of who he is. For what stands behind him is his soul... His shadow, but not of a man, but something... something worthy of both fear and respect."_

Everyone froze in shock as they made out the thing behind the man. Many of the villagers knew what it was. It was a dragon. A dragon that they'd only ever seen once. A dragon that on this day six years ago vanished without a trace and its rider disappeared along with it. It was Night Fury.

Astrid stood there slack jawed and wide eyed. It was without a doubt a Night Fury standing behind the man. Acid green eyes, black scales, large wings, and as she traced the details of the dragon she gasped when she saw the tail. Half of it wasn't real.

The odds were too impossible. It had to be. It was him.

Astrid took a step toward the man, causing him and his dragon to shift their attention to her. "It's you," Astrid whispered quietly. She stopped within a few feet of the man as she just stood there, paralyzed in shock. "Hiccup."

At her words the dragon quickly dropped down on all fours and circled around the man. And in the next moment he was atop the dragon. Before Astrid could even cry out and move the dragon crouched low and jumped into the sky. It beat its wings steadily and all too soon disappeared into the night sky.

Astrid scanned the sky, frantic to find the dragon and its rider. Then she whirled around and ran to Stormfly she was about to mount her when someone caught a hold of her wrist. She turned around with a snarl on her face to the chief.

"Easy Astrid. We have more important things to do right now," he said evenly.

"But sir that was Hiccup. It had to be," she said frantically.

"I know. But we need to treat the wounded and assess the situation in the village right now. This will have to wait," he said firmly. He held the girl's gaze as she reluctantly relented. H nodded before releasing her and then looked up into the night sky.

He knew she was right. That had been his son. He wanted desperately to go after him himself but as chief he had to put the village at the top of his priorities at the moment.

Still, the chief was filled with a hope that had been extinguished. His son was alive. He was back. They could find him.

They would find him.

* * *

**New chapter. Sorry for the wait guys. Have and stuff now. Hope you like. Feel free to review and comment**.


	9. Chapter 9

**Former Peers **

Astrid couldn't sleep that night. Her mind kept replaying the events of the raid over and over. It all lead up to one conclusion. That man had been Hiccup. She almost couldn't believe it. Hiccup had never been a warrior. An inventor, yes, a klutz, definitely. But not a warrior capable of taking on a group of men twice his size without getting a scratch. But the evidence all lead to the same thing. The eyes, his words, Stormfly's reaction, and then the big kicker, the Night Fury with the missing tailfin.

She flushed slightly at remembering how he fought. He was so fast, so precise, so deadly. And he'd become so tall. He was even taller than her now. And his shoulders were so broad. He was still kind of thin and lanky for Viking standards but she could defiantly tell he'd filled out quite a bit.

As she continued to lie awake in bed she suddenly became aware that the sun was beginning to rise. She sat up in bed as she deliberated doing what she had wanted to last night. Go find him. Bring him back.

It took all but a second for her to make a decision. She hopped out of bed and started to get dressed.

She was determined to find Hiccup.

* * *

In about half an hour Astrid was dressed, packed, and set to go. She snuck out of her house and saddled up Stormfly before mounting her and taking off. She looked down at Berk as she flew away. Only a few villagers were up so she went largely unnoticed. They'd probably just think she was going for a morning flight or patrol anyway. She was glad the village had been relatively undamaged in the raid last night. Only a few injuries and some broken down doors but everyone was fine. Largely thanks to Hiccup.

Astrid turned her gaze to the horizon as she started to formulate a plan. She had no idea how she was going to find Hiccup. It wasn't going to be easy. He'd been missing for six years after all.

"ASTRID!" suddenly came a shout behind her.

She looked over her shoulder to find her friends flying up behind her. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked in surprise. She was slightly worried they were going to try and stop her.

"We're coming with you to find Hiccup," Fishlegs answered.

"Yeah. He was so awesome last night," Tuffnut said excitedly.

"And so tall," Ruffnut added dreamily.

Astrid glared slightly at the female twin.

"I don't know guys," Snotlout interjected. They all tuned to look at him questionably. "Hiccup had always been a little guy. Plus he was never a warrior," he argued.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Did you not see the Night Fury with the missing tailfin last night Snot? Who else could it be?"

Snotlout didn't have a response for that. So he turned his gaze to the horizon and remained silent.

"How are we going to find him though Astrid? No one has been able to find him for six years," Fishlegs pointed out.

Astrid pursed her lips in thought. She still hadn't worked that out yet. Still, now was the best chance they had to find him. Hopefully ha hadn't gone far last night. "Ok, we'll split up. Ruff, Tuff, head south and check the island, Fishlegs you take north, Snotlout east, and I'll go west," she ordered. "If you find him don't engage. Head back and meet on Dragon Island around high noon." The other nodded before splitting up.

Astrid steered Stormfly west.

"Please don't be gone Hiccup. Please don't leave again," she silently pleaded.

* * *

"Well they know I'm back now," Ryuiji said in exasperation. After helping Berk with the Vandals he'd flown off to a nearby island north of Berk. He'd simply laid back against Toothless and collapsed from the emotional and physical exhaustion at the battle and seeing people again.

He'd arrived at Berk just as it was being attacked by the Vandals and decided to help. He hadn't expected to run into Astrid. He couldn't believe how beautiful she'd become. She definitely wasn't a child anymore. And then there was his father. Suddenly he couldn't do it. He'd panicked and flown off on Toothless.

He released a groan as he sat on the edge of a large stone jutting out of a hillside. He looked out upon the meadows and forests of the island and searched for an answer. Then he felt a nudge from behind. He smile and looked over his shoulder at Toothless. The dragon crooned in concern and cocked his head to the side.

"I know bud. But last night didn't seem like the best time for a family reunion," he said with a sigh. He didn't know what to do. He could still very well be executed for stepping foot on the island. And what would his father think about how much he'd changed. Would he proud? He'd finally become a strong warrior in his own right. But it was in a different way. And Vikings didn't take to kindly to different.

"Can I get a second alone bud?" he asked his friend. "I'll dragon call if I need you." The dragon cocked his head again before nudging his face with his cheek. Then he complied. He spread his wings and glided down to the bottom of the hill and walked off, looking for something to hunt.

Hiccup sat there and contemplated his next move. He reached to his belt and took out his katana. He opened unsheathed the blade slightly and smiled. Was he living up to the title of samurai?

With a sigh he sheathed the sword and cradled it between his legs as he let his mind wander off.

* * *

Meanwhile, a figured was looking down on an island with a spy glass I hand. Atop his Gronckle Fishlegs smiled as he noticed a man and a black dragon. It was him. He'd found Hiccup.

"Come on girl. Let's get to Dragon Island," he said excitedly. Then he steered his dragon toward the rendezvous point with his friends. He was eager to tell them he'd found him.

* * *

Hours later Astrid and her friends were making their way through the forest. They had met up and Fishlegs told them he'd found Hiccup. So they flew as fast as they could to this island to search for them. At Fishlegs' suggestion they left their dragons in a meadow and continued on foot. They didn't want Hiccup to feel cornered and run away again. They opted to talk to him and hopefully convince him to return.

As Fishlegs led to the spot he'd seen Hiccup last Astrid's heart thrummed in anticipation. After six years she was finally going to see Hiccup again. She was so happy that she'd been right that he was still alive. What would she say to him? Where should she even start? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. The first thing she had to do was get him to come back.

Suddenly Fishlegs stopped, causing Astrid to almost bump into him. Before she could ask for an explanation Fishlegs spoke. "There he is," he said in a whisper. Astrid stepped around him and peered through the tree line. It was him.

He was sitting on a rock with his back to the forest. From here Astrid could see long auburn hair with a few braids in the back. His helmet was off and at his side and he seemed to be staring intently at whatever was in front of him. Astrid crouched low and motioned with her hand for the other to follow her lead. Then she began to slowly advance.

After a few steps a loud snap was heard. Astrid turned to see Ruffnut had stepped on a twig. The twin looked up at Astrid with a sheepish smile. Astrid turned to look back at Hiccup only to find he was now gone. With a silent curse she turned and glared back at the female twin who looked at her apologetically.

With a sigh she rose up and walked out of the forest. There was no point in hiding now. She walked to the spot where Hiccup had been sitting. She looked down, trying to see if she could spot him. The point she was at was too high to jump from. She looked around and assumed that Hiccup must have gotten up and walked down the hill side. So she led her friends on his assumed path. At the bottom of the hill there were many rocks and boulders that had ended up here who knows how long ago. The group shifted their heads back and forth trying to make out a human figure.

"Can I help you?" a voice said.

Everyone shifted their gaze to the right where the voice had come from. And to their surprise and Astrid's relief there he was. It was Hiccup. He was standing fifty feet away and leaning against a boulder casually with his arms crossed over his chest and his helmet on.

"Well?" he said.

Astrid smiled and took a step forward. "Hiccup," she said to him.

"The name is Ryuiji," was his reply. But Astrid wasn;t swayed. Now that she listened closely, she could recognize his voice. Even with it beng muffled by his helmet and deeper and not cracking, it was still nasally like when he was a child. It was definetely him.

Astrid was a little confused by the curt attitude but was too overjoyed to see him. "Hiccup. We've come to take you back to Berk," she said. She stood there and waited for his response. It came in the form of a snort and him getting up and walking away.

"Hiccup?" she called out. She jogged after him. The others followed after her. "Hiccup?" Astrid repeated following just behind him. She couldn't understand why he was ignoring them. "Hiccup? Why won't you talk to me?" she asked as she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

As she did he yanked it out of her grip. Then he turned around and faced her. "I told you my name is Ryuiji," he said with a hard glare. "Second. I don't take orders from women," he said lowly.

Astrid was initially surprised by his comment. Old Hiccup never would have had the nerve to speak to her like that. The others were just as surprised. Then she narrowed her eyes in offense. She took a step forward and gave him a withering look. "What?" she asked dangerously.

He took a step forward and got right into her face. "I. Don't. Take. Orders. From. Women," he repeated slowly as if she were a stupid child. She bristled at his attitude. Why was he being so difficult?

"Ok Hiccup. I don't know what your problem is, but either you come back to Berk or else…"

"Or else what?" Hiccup said lowly cutting her off. Astrid saw him place his left hand on the hilt of his longer sword and then use his thumb to slightly unsheathe it.

Astrid hesitated at this. She was willing to use force but after remembering what he did to those Vandals last night she wasn't sure she could take him.

"Hmph. Thats what I thought," he said before turning to walk away. Astrid stood there dumbstruck. Had Hiccup really just threatened her? And had it seriously just worked? She turned to her friend to see what they thought they should do. They just shrugged, being no help at all.

"Pssh. Just let him go. That obviously not Hiccup," Snotlout said. Hiccup just kept going. "I mean Hiccup was a tiny, shrimpy, wuss. No way that's him," he said jerking a thumb in his direction. The others glanced over at Hiccup ad noticed he'd stopped.

"You have the nerve to call someone tiny half pint?" they heard Hiccup say before he turned around to glare at Snotlout.

Snotlout bristled at the 'Hiccup's' words. "Oh you want to fight about it stranger?" he asked pounding his fist into his palm.

The other watched as Hiccup began walking forward. His posture showing he was completely confident he could take Snotlout. "Oh it's not gonna be a fight," he said confidently. Snotlout narrowed his eyes before marching past his friends.

The others stayed back to watch what was going to happen.

As Ryuiji was walking toward Snotlout he took him in. He was surprised he'd become taller than his cousin. But he could tell the boy was still stocky and probably had strength on him. He was gonna have to be careful and avoid getting punched. He also noticed how Snotlout had aged over the years. His face had matured and he sported some facial hair. If you could call the fuzz on his upper lip that. He had the same helmet on his head from when they were kids and his outfit had changed slightly to a black furred half jacket.

When they were within a few feet of each other they stopped and looked each other up and down, sizing one another up. Then Snotlout raised his hands up in fists. Ryuiji did the same. They stared each other down as they waited for the other to make a move.

"Go ahead. Hit me if you can," Ryuiji said to taunt his cousin. It worked. Snotlout scowled before tensing up to throw a punch. But Ryuiji was faster. Before Snotlout could react Ryuiji threw a punch with his right hand, connecting with Snotlout's face and sending him stumbling back. Snotlout and his friends all gaped in surprise. The speed had been amazing.

Ryuiji smiled to himself. Though Snotlout was probably a good fighter with a stronger punch than him, it would do him no good if he couldn't hit him. One of the cornerstones of Ryuiji's fighting style was speed. Snotlout was going down.

Snotlout shook off the punch and glared at him. Stepping back up to him he raised his hands up once more. They once again stared each other down, waiting and anticipating an attack. Then Snotlout threw a right cross. Ryuiji ducked and weaved left before throwing a right cross himself which connected. Snotlout growled and threw a left, but Ryuiji raised his right arm and blocked before punching him in the face with his left hand. As Snotlout stumbled back from the punch Ryuiiji grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close. Then he rammed his right knee into his stomach. Snotlout gasped as the air was knocked out of him.

Ryuiji gave Snotlout a push to get some distance before stepping into striking range once again and punching him in the torso 20 times in the blink of an eye. Dazed and out of breath Snotlout wobbled on his feet. Deciding to end the fight Ryuiji crouched and with a leap kicked Snotlout across the face. Snotlout was spun y the kick before hitting the ground. With a groan he tried to raise his head up but he dropped it to the ground and blacked out.

Ryuiji caught his breath. He almost couldn't believe it. He'd just beaten the crap out of Snotlout. "It's been an honor," he said respectfully. "To KICK YOUR ASS!" He suddenly finished haughtily. Man how he'd wanted to do that for the longest time. Normally he'd be a lot more humble, but this was Snotlout.

"Man that felt good. I feel taller. Do I look taller?" he said looking to his old peers. "Never mind, don't answer that," he said dismissing the question.

His former peers were in shock. He'd beaten Snotlout so easily. "Is Hiccup gloating?" Fishlegs asked leaning over to whisper to Astrid.

"I don't know. I've never seen Hiccup gloat before," Astrid said with a shrug. She was impressed. His hand to hand skills seemed just as sharp as his sword skills.

"Well. That was fun. But now I'm gonna go," he said cracking his neck and turning to walk away. As he was walking away he was met with two spears suddenly crossing in front of his path. The twins had come around him.

"Not that we really care about you kicking Snotlout's ass Hiccup," Tuffnut began.

"Yeah, it was awesome," his sister said with a smile. "But we can't let you leave," she finished.

Ryuiji narrowed his eyes at them before stepping back. He shifted his gaze to both of them and got ready.

"Don't hurt him guys," Astrid call out behind him.

_Like they could_, Ryuiji thought to himself. He waited as the twins came around to both his sides. It was obvious they were trying to surround him. He watched both of them out of the corner of his eyes and waited. Then Tuffnut thrusted his spear at him. Ryuiji caught the spear in with his left hand before spinning clockwise toward Tuffnut and ramming his elbow into the side of his head. Tuffnut went down, losing grip on his spear in the process.

Ruffnut stepped forward to avenge her brother and made several stabs at Ryuiji. But Ryuiji used Tuffnut's spear to guard. Pointing the non-spear head end at her he rotated it in front of him in a circle to sweep away and block her attacks. Then he thrusted the spear forward and into her solar plexus. She gasped and wheezed as the wind was knocked out of her. Ryuiji advanced. Planting the spear in the ground he spun on his right foot and then lashed out with his left heel. Ruffnut held her spear horizontally to block. But as his heel connected with the spear it gave, splitting in two with a crack and allowing his heel to connect with her chest.

She hasped as she was knocked back several feet onto her but. She held her arms over her chest and knew there was going to be some bruising later. She looked up and noticed Hiccup approaching her. Her brother's spear was in his hand and he was glaring at her. Ruffnut was actually a little scared. He looked as if he wanted to kill her. Then suddenly Fishlegs moved in front of her protectively.

Fishlegs was scared out of his mind. Not liking violence and seeing Hiccup beat all of his friends had him very nervous about standing in his way. But he liked Ruffnut and was willing to try and protect her. He held his hammer in his hands and tried his best not to tremble.

"Hiccup now just hold on one second," he stammered out nervously. Hiccup just getting closer. He was seriously starting to think he may have to fight him when suddenly an axe blade was held in front of him. Fishlegs sighed in relief as he saw Astrid move into Hiccup's path.

Astrid pointed her axe at Hiccup, keeping him away from Fishlegs. She glared at him. If he wanted to be difficult then fine. One way or the other she was taking him back to Berk. "I'm taking you back to Berk Hiccup. Even if I have to knock you out to do it," she said firmly. Hiccup didn't look impressed. He chuckled in amusement before twirling the spear in his fingers. Then he pointed the spear head end at her. Inviting a challenge.

Astrid narrowed her eyes and twirled her axe in her hands. Her heart was thrumming nervously. She'd just watched Hiccup take down all her friends. Easily at that. She wasn't completely confident she could beat him. They circled each other for a few moments before Astrid decided to attack.

She raised her axe up and stepped forward before swinging at him. Hiccup raised his spear up horizontally and blocked. He pushed her back and started thrusting the spear head at her. Astrid dodged and parried with her axe handle. Hiccup had a slight advantage, being able to keep her back with his longer weapon. But Astrid was determined. Parrying a stab she stepped forward and swung at him in a horizontal arc. Hiccup dodged at the last second before driving his palm into her stomach. She coughed slightly and winced in pain before stepping back.

She looked up to see Hiccup suddenly begin to twirl his staff in both hands. She watched in amazement as he spun it at amazing speeds. It was just a blur in his hand as he spun it behind his back, at is sides, above, and in front of him. Then he started advancing on her. She had to back away to avoid getting hit in the head by the spinning staff.

She needed to get in an attack. So she advances and tried to swing at his right thigh. But Hiccup stepped back and spun right before bringing the spear shaft down on her wrist. With a yelp she dropped her axe. Before she knew it Hiccup stepped behind her and out of sight. Then she yelped as she felt a sharp stinging smack on her rear.

She brought her hands to her rear to massage the stinging and blushed at Hiccup's boldness. She looked at him incredulously. "Did you just?" she began. But she was cut off when Hiccup swept her legs out from under her. Landing on her back she was immediately pinned as Hiccup placed his foot on her right shoulder and held her down.

She looked up at him and was met with the end of a spear inches away from her nose. She glanced past it and looked up to see Hiccup glaring down at her with his spear raised and poised above his head.

Astrid suddenly was very afraid. It looked as if he was going to kill her. Then she saw him tense and she shut her eyes tightly in anticipation of her death. But she heard a noise to her left. She peeked her eyes open and saw he'd stabbed the spear into the ground next to her head. She looked up at him as he crouched down and reached his hand out. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and raised her up to eye level.

She remained frozen and flushed slightly at his intense stare. Then he 'hmphed' before letting go of her and letting her fall back to the ground. With that he stepped of her and began to walk away. She watched him walk away. He'd beaten her. He'd shown her mercy. And his glare had made it perfectly clear. It said not to follow him or else.

"Hiccup wait!" Fishlegs cried as he watched him walk away. Hiccup kept going. "Your dad wants you to come back. He misses you. We all do," he said desperately. Hiccup stopped. He turned his head slightly and looked back at him. Then he faced forward again. He remained still for a moment before he started walking away again.

Everyone watched him walk away. Save the unconscious Snotlout. They could hardly believe it. He'd just beaten all of them.

Astrid's heart plummeted considerably though. She'd failed to bring him back. She had just let him walk away again and she'd been powerless to stop him.

What she going to tell the chief?

* * *

**New chapter. Sorry for the wait. Its kinda short too.** **Eat that Snotlout**


	10. Chapter 10

**Staying…for now**

"That went well," Ryuiji remarked dryly. After his scuffle with his former peers he'd found Toothless and flown off. With nowhere particular in mind he decided to go to Achoo on a whim. He was sitting at the edge of a pond and staring into his reflection. He saw himself, in his samurai armor and helmet and his swords, and he felt shame.

Daichi would be ashamed of his behavior. He'd been arrogant instead of humble as Daichi had taught him. And he'd hadn't been very polite with his interactions with his former peers. But who would be if you were pretty sure they were taking you back to be executed. He was surprised to see his peers and when he noticed them in a group and armed his instincts immediately screamed 'hunting party'. So of course he wasn't eager to cooperate with people trying to take him to his demise.

Plus seeing Snotlout and the twins, his old tormentors, had brought out some old bitterness he'd buried deep inside of him. He'd never allowed himself to get angry with anyone on Berk despite the way they'd treated him. It wasn't like he could do anything about it in the past. He'd ben to weak and scrawny to do anything besides hurl a low sarcastic remark. But now that he was stronger he'd let his anger get the better of him and allow it to control his actions. That wasn't what samurai did. Then he'd taken it out on Astrid and he might have even hurt Fishlegs. They definitely didn't deserve that. (Though he wasn't all that sorry about beating up Snotlout).

With a sigh he closed his eyes and started to meditate. He needed to think and clear his head. Behind him Toothless laid down loyally and dozed lightly. Until he heard something and his ears perked up. Looking to the sky he made out an approaching figure and growled softly to alert his human. Ryuiji glanced over his shoulder to see a familiar Nadder with a blond Viking atop it. He watched as she dismounted. She looked over to him nervously before taking a few small steps forward. He noticed she wasn't holding her battle axe this time.

Astrid fidgeted nervously and shuffled on her feet. "I followed you," was all she could think to say.

"Obviously," Ryuiji responded dryly.

Astrid scowled and glared at him. Then she took a breath through the nose to calm herself down. She looked up and held his gaze before she spoke. "We weren't taking you back to Berk to be executed Hiccup."

Ryuiji's eyes widened slightly at this. _They weren't?_

Astrid sighed and turned her head shyly. "Fishlegs kind of pointed out that I didn't say why we wanted to take you back. Then he reminded us that your father technically banished you and his order still stood," she explained. "And I guess coming armed and in a group made us look like we were trying to capture you too," she conceded while shrugging an arm.

Ryuiji was still taking in the news that they weren't trying to capture him. Then he took time to look at Astrid. But really look this time. She was beautiful.

Her attire had changed. She now wore a red tunic with a light colored fur hood. She still wore the same metal shoulder pads and spiked skirt from when she was a kid. Then she had light colored fur gloves with matching boots and blue leggings.

Her face had matured. Now longer round with childness it was the defined and pronounced face of a young woman. Her hair was slightly different with a pleat going down the side. She'd also gotten taller. He was still surprised by exactly how much he'd grown as he was taller than her now.

All in all. She was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. His heart pounded in his chest from just looking at her.

"You're not a criminal Hiccup," Astrid said cutting though his thoughts. "You're a hero, and you've changed the way we live now," she said motioning with a hand to Stormfly for emphasis. "I won't make you come home…but I think you should. Your dad would really like for you to come back," she said earnestly.

She turned around and made her way back to Stormfly. "And so would I," she muttered under her breath. Mounting her dragon she cast one last glance to Hiccup. To her disappointment he didn't rise to follow her. He just sat there and stared straight ahead. She released a sigh before signaling Stormfly to fly and head towards Berk.

In the air she looked over her shoulder to see Hiccup still sitting there. With a clenching heart she faced forward and flew home. Cursing her own cowardice.

She hadn't told him why she really wanted him to come back.

* * *

A few hours later Astrid and Stormfly landed on Berk. She landed near the feeding station so Stormfly could eat before dismounting. Immediately she noticed Stoick, Gobber, and the riders making their way over to her. When Stoick reached her he gave her a stern look.

"Got something to tell me Astrid?" he asked gruffly.

Astrid held his gaze and obediently answered. "I went out looking for Hiccup sir. I'm sure the other informed you about what happened. I believe he thought or thinks we want to execute him for returning. Your order of exile still stands," she explained.

Stoick eye's flashed with understanding. The big man brought a palm up to his forehead. "Oh of course. That's why he won't come back," he groaned out. Stoick cursed himself. Of course Hiccup would be reluctant to return. He thought his own father would order his execution.

"I followed him after our initial encounter. I told him he's not going to be executed. I'm not sure if he believed me since he didn't come back with me," she said sadly.

Stoick sighed and rubbed his temples. He'd have to think of a way to track Hiccup down again and convince him to return. That meant he'd have to speak to him himself. He placed a comforting hand on Astrid's shoulder. "You did good lass. Don't blame yourself," he told her. The young woman held his gaze and nodded. With a sigh the chief turned and went on his way.

Astrid watched him go as the other riders came up to her.

"So you think he'll come back?" Fishlegs asked. Astrid looked to him and just shrugged. She didn't know.

"That was not Hiccup," Snotlout said aloud. The other turned to look at him. He was sporting a black eye and a sore jaw from his fight with Hiccup and he was embarrassed at the notion that his cousin could take him down.

"Of course it was," Fishlegs said rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. You're just mad that he kicked your ass," Tuffnut cackled.

Snotlout flushed and glared at the male twin. "Like you did any better," he retorted hotly.

As Tuffnut and Snotlout started to argue back and forth Astrid rolled her eyes and grabbed her axe from Stormfly. She walked around her friend and headed towards the woods. She needed to vent. Hearing footsteps behind her, she glanced over her shoulder to see Ruffnut following her.

"You ok?" her friend asked her in concern. She knew Astrid had feelings for Hiccup. It couldn't have been easy to watch him walk away or know he was back and not be able to do anything about it.

"I guess," Astrid said blankly.

Ruffnut pursed her lips in thought as Astrid faced forward. She need to get her friend out of her slump. She thought of an idea and smiled mischievously. "Hiccup's gotten pretty kinky over the years don't you think. You knew he had the balls to pull as stunt like that," she said aloud. Astrid looked to her and furrowed her brows, not understanding what she meant. "I mean, to smack you on the ass like that. Did it make you feel things," she said waggling her eyebrows. Astrid flushed slightly before turning to punch her in the arm. Ruffnut just laughed and rubbed the sore spot on her arm before following after her as they made their way into the woods.

* * *

An hour later Astrid had vented her emotion through her usual method. Hacking into trees with her battle axe. Ruffnut had watched her and stood aside, talking casually about other topics and just providing company. When she saw her friend had finished venting she invited her over to her house for some lunch. Astrid just shrugged in acceptance and the girls made their way to the Thorston home.

But as they walked into the village they noticed that the villagers weren't bustling about. The streets were empty. They furrowed their brows in confusion before noticing a vast throng of villagers gathered at the chief's house. Exchanging a glance they began making their way up the slope of the village. When they got closer they immediately saw why everyone was gathered. Astrid and Ruffnut pushed their way through the crowd and made their way up to the front where their friends were gathered. All of them had their mouths open in shock as they gazed up at what was resting on top of the chief's house.

Stoick, who'd gone to his home for a break and some quiet time, opened his front door and nearly jumped back in shock to find his people all gathered at his front door. He was wondering why they were staring at him when on second glance he noticed they were staring at something above him. Something on top of his house by the direction they were looking. The chief slowly made the way down the steps of his porch before turning around and peering up at the top of his home. He took a few more steps back and then froze.

His eyes met two pairs of green eyes looking down at him from atop his roof. One belonging to a black dragon who was staring at him curiously and another belonging to a helmeted man in armor looking at him intently. The man was leaning forward in his sadly with his arms resting on the dragon's head. The chief and the man just stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

Then the man patted the dragon on the neck and whispered something to it. It huffed in reply before slinking down the side of the home. Stoick stepped to the side slowly, almost in disbelief at what was going on. He watched as the dragon made its way down his house and rested on the ground. Then the man dismounted before giving the dragon a grateful pat on the head.

Holding each other's gaze Stoick and the man walked toward each other until they were directly in front of each other. Stoick looked down at this man. He was quite tall. And even with the armor he could tell there was a sizeable amount of muscle definition. But what really dew his attention were the man's eyes. For they were so familiar. Different, changed, but familiar.

"Hiccup," Stoick breathed out. It was all he could manage. He's lost his voice. He waited for an eternity for the man to respond. Then the man sighed and brought his hands to his hips.

"Well I haven't been called that name in a long time," he said with a chuckle. Then he raised his hands up and placed them at the sides of his helmet. Then slowly he started to pull it off. Stoick held his breath. Finally the man's helmet was gone, ad Stoick gasped as his eyes bulged out of his head.

"But yes. It's me dad," his son said with a smile. It was him. His little boy had become a man. Stoick didn't know what to do. His brain was frozen as he tried to comprehend. Then without warning his son dropped his helmet, stepped forward, and threw his arms around him.

"I've missed you dad."

* * *

Even when his son embraced him, even when he called him dad, even though he knew this was his son, Stoick didn't move. He was so thunderstruck. He thought he might have been dreaming. That it was all going to fade away and disappear at any moment. But a squeeze from his son reassured him that this was no dream.

So slowly, the chief warped his arms around him and returned the hug. It was real. His son was back. Tears of joy started to well in Stoick's eyes. And his shoulder started to shake as laughter started to bubble from him. True and genuine. "My son…MY SON IS BACK! MY SON IS BACK!" he bellowed out.

Behind him the villagers cheered and surged forward. In a few second Hiccup was swarmed by his people all laughing and clapping him on the shoulder in happiness from his return. Hiccup was a little overwhelmed to say the least but smiled as the bigger Vikings ruffled his hair and smacking him on the back. They started to bombard him with questions he had no hope answering given the sheer multitude of them when his father intervened.

"Everyone give him some space!" Stoick shouted out. At his words the villagers all stepped back and formed a circle. Stoick placed a hand on his son's shoulder and smiled at him warmly. "Hiccup, we have a lot to talk about," he said. Hiccup smiled back at him and nodded. With that Stoick began to lead him to the great hall with Toothless and the villagers in tow.

The chief's hearts was lighter than it had ever been. Hiccup was back.

His son had come home.

* * *

_Stop staring, _Astrid mentally commanded herself. She was standing at one end of the table where the chief and Hiccup had sat down so they could properly talk. The whole village was gathered in the great hall, way too curious about the return of their heir to go about their own business.

Astrid knew she was openly staring at Hiccup. But she couldn't stop herself. She'd always wondered and imagined what Hiccup might look like if she ever saw him again. But Freya damn it. He was hot.

_Ok. You're going to stop staring….now_, she said mentally as she averted her gaze from Hiccup. But a moment later her eyes were back on him. Taking in his features, his manly features. _Nope, he is so good-looking I literally cannot stop staring, _said mentally while giving her attempts to stop ogling him.

She wasn't the only one. Many of the younger preteen girls were staring at him and even the older Viking women who'd know him since he was a child were flabbergasted at how much he'd changed.

Who knew the boy would turn out so handsome.

"So that's my story," Hiccup said finishing his shortened version of his time in Japan.

Everyone listened, amazed at all he'd done in this strange faraway land. It almost sounded unbelievable. Saved a princess, helped kill an eight headed dragon comparable in size to the Red Death, being trained in the ways of the warriors of that land. But they'd seen what he could do the other night.

"And that's where you've been all these years?" Stoick asked. Hiccup took a swig from his cup of tea he'd made from some hot water and a packet he produced from his dragon's saddle bag. He nodded in confirmation. "Why didn't you come back? After the Red Death…why did you leave?"

Hiccup took another sip of tea. "The possibility of facing the blood eagle upon my return was one reason. Plus, I was never a very good Viking," he said with a shrug. "So I set out to see what I could be. And I became something else. I became a samurai," he said with a proud smile. Hiccup was proud of what he'd done. He was prouder still of having become a samurai. He was a warrior in his own right. He was as good, as strong, and as brave as any Viking.

"Well it's good to have you home son. I'm glad you're back where you belong," Stoick said warmly.

Hiccup paused as he was about to take another sip from his cup. With a sigh he set it down and locked eyes with his father. "Yeah…about that dad," he said slowly. "I'm not sure if I'm staying. Or if I want to rejoin the tribe again," he finished to everyone's surprise.

"What!" Stoick sputtered. He looked at his son to see if he was joking. When he saw that he wasn't he became frantic. "Why not Hiccup? We're your people," he argued.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at him. "Yeah, my people," he said, lacing the last word with venom. "The people who ridiculed me, made me an outcast, treated me like dirt. I think you can see why I'd be reluctant to come back to that," he said bitterly.

"Look Hiccup, I get it ok. We were terrible to you. But you're my son and this is where you belong," Stoick said losing his patience.

Hiccup held his father's gaze and rose from his seat. "Let's get something straight her Stoick," he said firmly. Stoick was stung a little at him not calling him dad. "You're not my master, you're not my chief, and by your own actions you aren't even my father," he said acidly. Everyone was shocked and gasped at the way he spoke to the chief. "You hold absolutely no power over me," he said, his words strong and unwavering.

"What to stop us from keeping you here by force?" Snotlout challenged.

Everyone watched as Hiccup's eyes flicked over to Snotlout. But he didn't move. Didn't speak or even react. And somehow that was more unsettling. Then a low growl caught everyone's attention as the Night Fury rose up and loomed over Hiccup. His presence and glare unnerving Snotlout as he growled. The sight made Hiccup even more intimidating. And some would even dare to say…frightening.

"With the aid of my dragon" Hiccup began and raised a hand to indicate Toothless. "I took down the Queen that plagued your home," clearly referring the Red Death, but what caught their attention was how he described Berk.

Bringing his hand down, he rested it on the hilt of one of his swords. "With these swords by my side, I took down the marauders invading your home," the tension was much heavier now that Snotlout remembered this. He was using all of his strength not to turn away in fear as his formerly timid cousin leveled him a hard stare. He even started to sweat lightly as he felt moisture on his brow.

Bringing his hands away from the swords, "With these hands, I took down you, the defenders of your home," Hiccup said as he brought his hands down to rest them at his sides. His calm expression hadn't changed but just by staring into his eyes, they realized how much he did.

"So please, cousin of mine," the posture may have looked relaxed, but with his calm yet hard expression, it conveyed a powerful will that would not be shaken. "...enlighten me."

The chief was hurt by Hiccup throwing his actions back at him. He was more surprised at how his son was so boldly standing up to him. And how he was so calmly implying that they couldn't stop him if they tried. There was no fear, no hint of intimidation, or worry. Hiccup had truly become a man. And that meant he couldn't treat him like a child anymore.

Then Hiccup turned his gaze back to his father. Slowly his mouth twitched upward into a small smile and the tension seemed to leave the room. Even his dragon behind him relaxed and laid back down. "Now I didn't say for sure that I wasn't going to stay and rejoin the tribe," he explained. "But I have things I need to think about. And spending time here and walking around would help me make a better decision."

Stoick mulled it over and with a defeated sigh he relented. Hiccup was right. By his own actions he'd given up his power over him. Hiccup could do whatever he wanted. That meant he could leave and never come back if he chose to.

But for now he was staying. And that meant Stoick could make it up to him. He could convince Hiccup he'd changed and they could properly reconcile. And hopefully, given time, Hiccup could forgive them and be convinced to rejoin the tribe of his own free will.

"You're right son," Stoick conceded. "For now, you will be my guest. Would you like to use your old room?"

Hiccup smiled and nodded. "That would be great dad. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to get in one last flight with Toothless," he said. Then he turned and motioned with his hand for Toothless to follow. The dragon loyally did and together they exited the great hall.

Once outside he mounted Toothless and they took off into the sky. As they flew he looked down and took in Berk more clearly. He could see all the changes that had been made to accomodate dragons.

He thought that this could be a place to call home.

But it would take more convincing than that.

* * *

Back in the great hall Stoick had gathered up the riders. He ushered them close together and told everyone else to go about their business.

"Ok you lot. I have a very important mission for you," Stoick said seriously. The riders all perked up curiously. "I need you all to try and convince Hiccup to stay on Berk."

The others all exchanged glances. This was the important mission.

"Understood chief," Ash said respectfully. The other turned to look at her curiously. She turned to them and shrugged. "This is an important task," she reiterated.

As the others were about to question why Stoick cut in to explain. "She's right. Hiccup is the rightful heir to the Hooligan tribe and the only other member of my bloodline. We have to convince him to stay," he said firmly.

"But what can we do?" Fishlegs asked the chief.

"You're all Hiccup's age. You have the best chance of connecting with him. I need you to get him to open up," he explained. The others all shrugged. It's not like they could refuse and order from their leader anyway. "Good. Now I'll need someone to stay with Hiccup at all times. To make sure he doesn't suddenly disappear. Now I think that—,"

"Guess that'll have to be me," Astrid said casually, trying to act like she wasn't interested.

Stoick turned to look at her. "Actually I was going to tell Fishlegs to do it," he said.

"Fishlegs doesn't mind if I do it," Astrid replied. "Right Fishlegs?" she said with a small smile to her friend.

"Actually I have no problem doing it. I would love to hear about the drag—OUCH!" Fishlegs yelped, being cut off as Astrid came over and stepped onto his foot.

"Right Fishlegs?" she repeated with a glare.

Fishlegs got the message. "Nope. Why would I mind? Astrid should do it," he muttered out through the pain. Astrid smiled in satisfaction before stepping off his foot. Then she turned to look up at the chief and smiled.

The chief shrugged. He supposed if Hiccup was going to suddenly run off Astrid had a better chance to stop him anyway. "Very well. Astrid you do it," he amended. With that, he dismissed everyone.

As Astrid made her way to her own home she flushed and smiled to herself. Hiccup had come back. With her assigned to shadow him she could spend time with him. She could get to know him.

She figured that a relationship with Hiccup wasn't practical at the moment. For the two of them were practically strangers. Over a decade of her indifference and six years of his disappearance had created a giant rift between them that would take much effort to cross.

But Astrid Hofferson was a Viking. She didn't back down from a seemingly insurmountable task.

Astrid had always been the person to take what she wanted with her own hands.

And more than anything else in her life, she wanted Hiccup.

* * *

**New chapter. Hope this explains why Hiccup acted like he did last chaer since some of you were questioning his behaviour. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Getting Reacquainted**

The next day Astrid woke up early and got herself ready. She took extra time brushing and plaiting her hair and actually spared a second glance to check her appearance. Astrid normally didn't do this as she didn't care much for male attention. But now there was a certain man she hoped would look her way.

Exiting her home she first went to the docks to get a basket of fish before going back to her house and feeding Stormfly. With a sated dragon and a promise of a flight later she made her way to the chief's house. She walked up the steps to the door and knocked lightly a few times.

From the other side she heard heavy footsteps and assumed that the chief was coming to the door. Her guess was confirmed when Stoick answered the door. "Ah morning Astrid," he said with a groggy smile.

"Morning chief," Astrid said with a smile of her own. "I came over so I could start my mission."

"Ah yes good lass. Unfortunately Hiccup isn't in right now, he said he was going to the cove to exercise," the chief revealed. Astrid nodded in understanding and went on her way.

Making her way through the forest she thought about how much Hiccup had changed. He was so different from how he used to be. He was no longer the shy awkward kid she once knew. Now he was a strong, outgoing, and fierce man. And he'd become such a great warrior. She'd would have liked Hiccup regardless of his fighting abilities. But she couldn't deny that they were definitely appealing. Any Viking girl loved a strong warrior.

Plus he was so handsome. With those beautiful green eyes and his defined jawline. But he still had his boyish smile that made her heart skip a beat.

After a few minutes she came to the cove. But out of curiosity she decided not to directly enter. Going around the entrance she scrabbled up some rocks and crawled until she could look directly down into it.

Inside the cove she saw Hiccup. And he appeared to be practicing with his weapons. Shirtless.

Inside the cove Hiccup practiced with his katana. He swung, blocked, parried, and stabbed at an imaginary opponent, making sure to watch his form and technique. The cool air was refreshing as he worked up a decent sweat. Hiccup liked to exercise now. And he liked keeping his skills sharp. He'd worked hard to become as skilled as he had and he'd be damned if he let himself get rusty. So he concentrated and continued.

Meanwhile Astrid was flushing as she watched Hiccup practice. She was staring intently at his bare chest and upper body. While he wasn't as bulky and muscular as normal Vikings were she could see he was very fit. His body was lithe and his muscle definition was very…appealing. She could see the muscles in his arms and chest tensing and relaxing. She bit her lip and continued to admire him.

Eventually he picked up his other sword. She watched as his stance and formed changed with the addition of his new weapon. She wondered what it would be liked to face him in a sword duel.

"That body," came a voice.

Astrid nodded and continued staring.

"Look at those abs."

Astrid nodded again. Then her eyes widened and she blinked in surprise. Glancing to her left she saw Ruffnut, and a handful of preteen girls peering down at Hiccup. Their expression mirroring her own in womanly adoration.

"What are you guys doing here?" she whisper shouted.

Ruffnut look at her and rolled her eyes. "Same thing as you. Checking out new hot Hiccup. Duh," she said like it was obvious. The other girls smiled and nodded.

Astrid flushed and glared at Ruffnut. "I am not 'checking out' Hiccup. I'm supposed to be shadowing him," she replied hotly.

Ruffnut just snorted unconvinced. "Well you do that. Meanwhile I'm going to stare at hot Hiccup's ass," she said with a perverted smile as she turned her attention back to Hiccup who was now working on his hand to hand techniques.

Defeated Astrid turned to watch Hiccup as he threw punches and kicks at an invisible enemy. She remembered when he struck her with his palm. She knew how strong his blows were. Suddenly a growl came from behind them. All the girls froze and looked back to see Toothless stalking forward with his teeth bared.

The girls all paled in fear at the snarling Night Fury. But Astrid quickly took action. "No Toothless its ok. It's me Astrid, you remember me right?" she frantically whispered out. The Fury cocked his head to the side and sniffed at her. Then his eyes widened to friendly round orbs and he warbled at the girl in greeting. He did remember her as the girl who'd helped his human all those years ago. With a gummy smiled he came forward and nuzzled her cheek while purring happily.

Astrid released a breath in relief and smiled at the dragon. She scratched him under the jaw and earned a delighted croon.

"Toothless! You there bud?!" Suddenly came a shout from below. Toothless' ears perked up and he came over the edge of the lip of the cove. Astrid and the girls scooted back so they wouldn't be seen. Toothless peered down at his rider and yowled inquisitively.

"I'm done with my morning exercises bud. How about we hit a hot spring and clean up?" Hiccup said. Toothless smiled down at him in delighted enthusiasm. He spared Astrid one last friendly nuzzle before flaring his wings open and gliding down to his rider. Astrid and the girls pressed themselves against the ground as they heard a rush of wings head off in the direction of the islands hot springs.

Astrid released a breath she'd been holding, glad she hadn't been caught and glanced over at Ruffnut. Ruffnut had a devious smile on her face.

"No," Astrid said narrowing her eyes. She knew what Ruffnut was thinking.

"Aww come on. Don't tell me you don't want to see what Hiccup is packing," Ruffnut whined.

"Absolutely not. We're going back to the village now," Astrid ordered firmly. "You too," she said to the other girls. Their faces all dripped in disappointment.

"But Astrid, he's sooooo hot," Ruffnut said dramatically. "Please don't deny me this opportunity to sneak a peek at his dragon," she begged clasping her hands in front of her. The girls behind her followed her example and some even puffed out their bottom lips'.

"No. Now either we go back to the village or I drag you all back and tell your parents," she threatened.

They all sighed in defeat and got up.

"Kill joy," Ruffnut muttered.

* * *

Astrid and Ruffnut sat together at her friends' usual table. All the while she ate her food and scowled. All around she could hear the whispers coming from the younger girls. And aggravatingly they were all about Hiccup.

"Oh my gods did you see his bod!" one of them said.

"I know, he's so hot I'm gonna die," said another one.

"I just wanna rub my face on his face," another one said disgustingly.

Astrid frowned to herself. She never thought all these girls would show so much interest. She always figured she'd never have competition if the opportunity to be with Hiccup ever arose. But she was starting to feel a little threatened.

"Man you're so lucky Astrid," Ruffnut said beside her.

Astrid glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"You already have every guy in the village and our allies after you, but now you have Hiccup. It's so not fair," she whined.

Astrid flushed at her implication. "I do not 'have' Hiccup. In what world do I 'have' Hiccup?"

Ruffnut raised an eyebrow at her. "So can I have Hiccup?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Astrid shrieked low enough to not draw attention. Ruffnut mumbled something about her being selfish and resumed her own meal. After a few minutes the other riders all joined them at their table. They started to casually converse with themselves before the doors opened and they all saw Hiccup walk in.

"Ok guys. Remember the mission," Astrid whispered aloud. The others all nodded.

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs cried while giving him a friendly wave. Hiccup turned and noticed them before walking over. They noticed he was dressed in his strange armor again as he walked over to them. Snotlout scooted over and Fishlegs had grabbed a plate of food for him as they waited for him to join them.

But out of old habit Hiccup picked up the plate and went to go sit at an empty table. They watched as he clapped his hands together bowed his head and muttered some strange word before he dug into his meal.

The others exchanged glances before moving over to where he was seated. Hiccup let them do as they pleased and continued eating.

"Hey Hiccup, where's Toothless?" Fishlegs asked with a greeting.

"Feeding station," was his reply.

"Oh ok," Fishlegs said. "So Hiccup can you tell me about the dragons of Japan," he suddenly blurted out excitedly. Hiccup looked at him and smiled.

"Sure thing," he said. He paused to take a swig of water. "Well there are four different species in Japan. There are the strike class Mizuchis…" Hiccup said going into his explanation of the four different dragon species of Japan. Fishlegs and the other listened with interest. They all were quite interested in dragons.

When he finished his explanation he paused to finish his meal.

"We should totally add this to the book of dragons," Fishlegs said with much enthusiasm. Hiccup smiled and reached into his armor. He pulled out a journal and handed it to Fishlegs.

"Here. This has all my notes and drawing on them. Go ahead and get started and I'll check up on it later," he offered. Fishlegs giddily accepted it and thanked him.

Now finished with his meal Hiccup got up and said a polite goodbye before heading to the door. Astrid got up and followed after him. She walked a few paces behind him as he strolled through the village. He seemed to be examining all the modifications made specifically for dragons.

"Any reason you're following me?" he asked out of the blue.

"It's not like I wanna be. I'm just making sure you don't run off again," Astrid shot back. Neglecting to mention the fact that she stole the job from Fishlegs.

Hiccup turned his head to look at her. "I give you my word I won't 'run off'," he said looking her in the eyes. "I'll say my goodbyes. There, now there's nothing to worry about," he said with a smile.

Astrid narrowed her eyes at him, unamused. "Why should I take your word for it?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"Samurai take their word very seriously."

"Don't care. I'm making sure you just don't decide to leave."

"I'll leave when or if I'm good and ready," Hiccup said firmly.

"No you won't," Astrid said with a growl. Hiccup cocked an eyebrow and turned to fully face her.

"Is that so? And you would stop me?" he challenged.

Astrid had to fight to suppress her blush at his intense gaze. But keeping a straight face she stepped forward and looked him in the eyes. "Yes."

They remained staring at each other. Both tense and rigid. Until Hiccup smiled down at her. "Well the point is moot. I don't intend to go for some time," he said with a shrug. With that he turned around and continued on his way.

Astrid continued after him. She watched him as he walked and couldn't help but notice the way he walked. He walked proudly. His head was held high and his shoulders were back. Unlike before when he kept his head down and always averted his eyes.

"So what's with your swords?" Astrid decided to ask. She was a truly curious about them. She'd seen what they could do.

"The longer one is called a katana. The shorter one is a Wakizashi," he explained casually.

Astrid processed the information and stored it away. "What was with that weird name you called yourself? Ryu something?" she asked unsure.

"Ryuiji," he corrected. "It was the name I went by in Japan. It was given to me by the Shogun for helping his people and in commemoration of my new life there."

"Does it mean anything?"

"Yes. The Japanese language is complex. A name can be written several different ways and depending on the writing it can have different meanings. Mine was read as Dragon Child," he said with a hint of fondness.

Astrid 'hmmed' thoughtfully. She couldn't help but think the name was very fitting.

Eventually the pair walked around the entire village until Hiccup led them to Gobber's shop. Hiccup strolled straight in and called for Gobber.

The old smith hobbled out of the back of the shop and smiled at his old apprentice.

"Well, well, well, back from the dead are you?" he asked jokingly.

Hiccup couldn't help but smile and laughed lightly. He'd missed his old mentor over the years. He'd been one of the few who'd been kind to him and had tried to help him along…in his own way at least.

"Good to see you again Gobber," Hiccup said earnestly.

"Good to see you too Hiccup," Gobber replied back. "And look at you, what happened with all…this," he said gesturing to all of him.

"You just gestured to all of me," Hiccup pointed out with a chuckle.

"Well can you blame me? Last time I saw you, you were about this big," his said holding his hand at a level below his shoulder. "And this wide," he added pinching his finger together.

"Oh I wasn't that scrawny. I don't know. I just grew up I guess," he said with shrug.

"Must be something in the water over there," Gobber joked. Then his eyes drifted down to Hiccup's swords. "Mind if I get a look at them swords of yours?"

Hiccup nodded before handing them over. Gobber unsheathed the blade slightly and examined it. His smith eyes could detect the quality of the work. He hadn't seen a style and quality of blade in all his years. The smiths of Japan were truly blessed.

"Amazing," he marveled.

Hiccup smiled proudly. "So anyway Gobber. I was wondering if I could help out around the forge while I'm here," he inquired.

Gobber smiled widely before handing the sword back. "You bet lad. These old bones and pegs ain't what they used to be." Hiccup smiled gratefully. Then he sat down and started talking to Gobber about his time in Japan. Gobber listened intently. Astrid just shifted awkwardly on her feet, not knowing what she should do or say while they talked.

Gobber glanced over at her and nodded. A silent promise to watch Hiccup and make sure he didn't up and disappear. Astrid smiled back gratefully before leaving heading to grab Stormfly.

* * *

After a 30 minute flight Astrid landed back in the village from taking a few laps around the island with her dragon. She made sure to feed and stable her before she went back to Gobber's to check on Hiccup.

Just as she was about to enter the forge she almost ran into Hiccup as he was exiting. The pair was surprised for a moment and flushed slightly at the near contact before backing up and muttering apologies.

"So how was your flight?" Hiccup asked to dispel the awkwardness.

"It was ok," she replied. Hiccup nodded before continuing out of the door.

Astrid followed behind him as he made his way to the part of the village where the stands for dragon racing was.

"What are those for Astrid?" Hiccup asked curiously.

"They're spectator stands for the dragon races," she said.

"Dragon races?" he said raising an eyebrow.

Astrid nodded before giving him a brief explanation.

"Awesome. How come we didn't think of that?" he asked himself, referring to him, Kyoshi, and the other Benten. The Benten would often race each other but they hadn't thought about using a point system like Berk did.

"'We'?" Astrid questioned.

"Oh yeah, I meant me and my friend Kyoshi from Japan. We started a squad of dragon riders and we would race for fun too. But we never thought of using a point system," he explained. "By the way, tell me about this Dragon Academy Gobber told me about."

Astrid nodded and explained the history of the academy. Founded in honor of Hiccup and lead by Astrid herself they worked to integrate the dragons into the Hooligan society.

"Hmmm. Impressive. If anyone could do it, it would definitely be you," Hiccup said with a smile.

Astrid blushed at the compliment. "Well it wasn't easy, let me tell you that," she admitted.

"I don't doubt it. The Benten set an entire village on fire once," Hiccup said with a chuckle.

Astrid smiled and chuckled back. "Try dealing with the twins. They set the village on fire on a regular basis," she joked. That earned more laughter from them both.

Then Hiccup started walking around some more and asking more about the academy. Astrid responded and asked him questions about the Benten in turn.

Overall this was nice Astrid thought. She wouldn't say they were friends just yet. But they were getting along. They even had some common ground to share right off the bat. Had to start somewhere.

* * *

The next day Astrid was following Hiccup around as he studied the dragon stables and feeding stations. As he went he began brainstorming way to improve upon existing designs that he planned to pass along to Gobber. Behind him Astrid was in a slightly sour mood. As they walked along she noticed how the women of the village were staring at Hiccup.

While she understood their reasons for staring she didn't like it. Even if Hiccup and she weren't an item she was sure there was some kind of unspoken rule about her getting priority for seeing him first.

"Um…excuse me," came a quiet voice behind them. Hiccup and Astrid both turned around to see a freckled brunette girl a few feet away. The girl was red and fidgeted shyly on her feet as she tried to find her voice.

Astrid recognized her as the second oldest of Gaer. Her name escaped her at the moment but if she remembered correctly she was 16.

"Can I help you?" Hiccup asked politely with a friendly smile.

"Do you remember me?" the girl asked looking up at him and fidgeting with her hands.

Hiccup pursed his lips as he thought about it. Then it clicked. "Oh yeah. You're from that family I saved from the marauders a few weeks ago," he said. The girl smiled and nodded. "Glad to see you're ok. But what are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"We joined the tribe after you saved us. We figured it would be safer," she replied.

Hiccup nodded. "So did you need anything?" he asked.

The girl suddenly became a deep scarlet. She looked down at her feet before taking a deep breath. "IreallywantedtothankyouforsavingmethattimeandIwaswonderingifyouwouldtakemeasyourbride!" she blurted out in one breath.

Hiccup furrowed his brows in confusion. She had spoken too fast so he hadn't caught it all. "Sorry could you repeat that?"

The girl's blush deepened before she took another breath. "I wanted to say thank you for saving me that time. If you hadn't shown up I would have been taken away," she said sincerely.

"It was no problem. I was happy to help," Hiccup said honestly.

"And…I was wondering. Well…," the girl began nervously.

"Will you spit it out?" Astrid said losing her patience.

The girl flinched slightly at Astrid's tone before swallowing. "I turn 17 in a few weeks. I'll be of marrying age," she informed them. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "I was wondering if you'd consider taking me as your bride sir," she finally finished.

Both Astrid and Hiccup's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Had she just proposed to Hiccup? Astrid glanced at Hiccup to see his reaction. Would he really consider accepting? Astrid took in the other girl. She supposed she was ok looking.

You know…if you liked young, petite, perky, and cute. She prayed that Hiccup didn't.

Hiccup mulled over how to respond to the girl's offer. With a small smile he walked over to her. She blushed deeply and looked down at the ground as he approached. Hiccup reached her and looked down to her.

"While you are a very pretty young girl and would no doubt be an excellent wife, I'm going to have to refuse," Hiccup said as gently as he could. The girl's shoulder deflated visibly, much to his chagrin. "Unfortunately young lady I'm not a Viking. I have no clan, no family, no tribe and nothing to offer a magnificent young thing like yourself."

The girl looked up at him. "But I'm sure one day a man will come along and will move mountains to be with you. And I'm sure you'll make him the happiest man in the world. Maybe that's him now," he suddenly said as he pointed to an observing Gustav Larson standing a few meters away. The girl turned to look at the young man who stiffened and suddenly shuffled away at being caught staring. She blushed before giving Hiccup a small smile and walking over to him.

Hiccup let out a breath in relief. Glad he'd handled that well. He'd never turned down a girl before. He glanced over at Astrid who was frowning and practically glaring at him.

"What?" he asked confused by her unpleasant look.

"Quite the lady killer now huh?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess?"

"Must be nice to have women flocking to you. Practically begging you to marry them," she said sourly.

"Beats being ignored," Hiccup said in response. Astrid scowled at him, but didn't have anything to say. She wanted to be angry at someone for him getting attention from other women. But she couldn't blame anyone.

Hiccup was about to continue walking when several villagers walked up to them. It was four men. All only a few years older than her and Hiccup.

The leader walked straight up to Hiccup and loomed over him. From his look he was sizing Hiccup up. Old Hiccup would have shrunken back from the man's presence. But even with his superior height he wasn't intimidated.

"Need something?" Hiccup asked politely while raising an eyebrow.

"Just saying hello Hiccup," the man said with a smirk. He put emphasis on Hiccup's name. Obviously meaning to call him by its meaning. Runt.

"Me and the boys saw what you did to those raiders the other night," he began. "We just wanted to see if you were up for a friendly spar?"

Astrid glanced between Hiccup and the man. He seemed to be thinking that Hiccup wasn't as strong as they'd seen him to be. They wanted to test him. She understood why. They were Vikings, warriors. They loved testing themselves against new opponents.

Astrid watched as Hiccup mulled over their challenge. Then his mouth formed into a smile. His face radiated confidence and his eyes sparkled in excitement.

"Sure," he said holding the man's gaze.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the majority of the village was gathered above the old kill ring. They'd all heard how Hiccup was going to fight against some villagers. They were eager to see what he was capable of after seeing him in action before. Plus Vikings loved to watch a good fight.

Stoick sat in his chair as he looked down upon the ring. He had tried to call off the fight but his son insisted that it was fine. So he let them proceed. Hiccup was a man now. He could fight his own battle. And Stoick wanted to see what his son could do.

Astrid sat near her friends as they all were eagerly awaiting a fight. Astrid was a tad nervous about Hiccup fighting against the bigger men. There four men facing off against him. But Hiccup didn't seem nervous. He seemed calm and cool.

Hiccup was excited to show people what he could do. And he needed to keep his skills sharp anyway. Practicing alone would only get you so far. Facing real opponents was a good way to practice.

Stoick signaled the start of the match. The men stared down there one opponent. They watched as Hiccup placed his palms together and bowed. The raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior before they saw him lower himself into a battle stance and raise his hands up.

One of the men stepped forward to fight him first. He looked Hiccup up and down and snorted. He wasn't impressed. The boy may have grown but he was still a runt. He brought his hands up and stepped forward until he was directly in front of Hiccup. He looked into Hiccup's eyes and saw no indication of fear or worry.

Narrowing his eyes he took a swing. Hiccup blocked with his left arm before bringing his palm up into the man's nose. The man took a step back and with a growl swung again. Hiccup ducked and weaved to the right before chopping the man in the neck. The man's leg nearly gave out form the force of Hiccup's attack. The boy may have been small but he was damn strong. Before he could counter attack Hiccup punched him in the stomach, gave him a left hook, and then spun counter clockwise. Building momentum he struck the man across the face with his heel. The man was dazed from the attack and wobbled on his feet. Hiccup took the opportunity to grab the man's right arm and flipped him over his shoulder and onto his back. The man slammed into the ground and blacked out from the impact.

Hiccup stepped over the man and turned to face his friends. He backed up a few feet and waited for them to make the next move. The men were all stunned. They stood there slack jawed at how easily Hiccup had taken down their friend. But shaking off their astonishment they all charged him.

Hiccup had anticipated this. With a sprint he surged forward and stepped onto the downed man. With a leap he flew through the air and toward the men. He then kicked with both his legs, catching the two men in front on the sides of their faces before twisting and delivering a flying roundhouse kick to the final man in the back. Landing behind the group he turned around to find they'd all been knocked out. While they laid on the floor Hiccup looked up to the now silent crowd.

_Hmmmm, I wonder if I went a little too far?_ He thought to himself as he looked into their stunned faces.

Then suddenly Stoick gave a hearty cheer and threw his hands into the air. The whole crowd followed his exampled and shouted, clapped, and cheered at his victory. Hiccup smiled before bowing to his downed opponents.

He was respectful after all.

* * *

Astrid watched as five rounds later Hiccup had yet to be defeated. After defeating his initial challengers more people from the crowd rushed down to the ring to have a go at him. But Hiccup beat them every time without receiving a scratch.

Astrid watched as he faced off against his newest opponent. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she watched Hiccup fight. His face was focused and he had a confident grin. He looked to be enjoying himself but he remained humble about it.

With a spin kick Hiccup dropped yet another opponent. Hiccup took a moment to catch his breath and wiped off his forehead. He smiled proudly to himself and bowed in respect.

"HA HA HA. THAT'S MY BOY!" Stoick bellowed from his seat above the ring. Hiccup couldn't help but smile wider. It was nice to hear his father's praise. He swept his gaze over the crowd before it settled on Astrid. He threw her his crooked grin and she flushed and brushed some stray strands of hair out of her face shyly.

Then he faced forward as a new opponent walked into the ring. He was carrying a sword this time. The crowd all looked to Hiccup to see if he would draw his own. But to their surprise he reached into his armor and pulled out a short black rod. They all furrowed their brows in confusion. Was that supposed to be a weapon?

Hiccup smiled before pressing the button on his staff. He smirked in satisfaction as he heard the crowd give a surprised gasp. Gripping his staff firmly in both hands he began to swiftly spin it around. The crowd watched in amazement as the staff became a blur in his hands. Then he stopped before leveling it at his opponent.

The man growled before charging. Hiccup thrust the staff forward at him but he parried with his sword. He swung at Hiccup, but he stepped to the side as the man barreled passed and swung his staff. He thwacked the man in the back of the head, causing him to stumble forward. He rubbed the back of his head and grumbled in irritation before turning to face Hiccup.

The man charged forward and began swinging at Hiccup wildly. Hiccup parried and blocked his attack. Though he was on the defensive his confident smile indicated he wasn't having any trouble. Parrying a blow Hiccup brought the shaft down on the man's sword arm. The man yelped and dropped his sword. Then Hiccup began to rapidly spin the staff in his hands. The man was forced to back away, unable to retrieve his sword.

Then Hiccup let the staff slid down his hands so he was clutching one end. Cocking it back he swung it as hard as he could as the man. The man was struck in the temple and fell to the gorund unconscious. Hiccup stood up and bowed.

The crowd cheered excitedly at Hiccup as some men went to retrieve the defeated.

"WHO'S NEXT?!" Stoick cried out. Eager to see some more displays of his son's combat prowess.

"Me," came a firm voice from the entrance to the arena.

Everyone looked toward the entrance in surprise as Astrid walked in carrying a long sword. She smiled in excitement at the prospect of facing Hiccup. She'd had enough watching the action. She had to get in on it. And how could she not want to fight him?

Hiccup on the other hand was less than thrilled about the prospect of fighting Astrid. While he had no qualms fighting her in their last encounter that had been for what he thought was self-defense. But now…well…his feelings made it hard for her to see her as an opponent and not for…well Astrid.

"What do you say Hiccup? Want to mix it up?" Astrid said in challenge.

Hiccup collapsed his staff before putting it away. "Actually I think I've had enough for today," he said evenly. Astrid narrowed her eyes.

"Oh come on. One more fight," she urged.

"Pass," Hiccup said as he started to walk past her. But he was stopped as Astrid raised the blade up in front of him and pressed the edge into his neck.

"What's the matter Hiccup? Are you scared?" she asked to try and taunt him.

Hiccup frowned at her. One thing he hadn't missed about his people was the Viking stubbornness. He raised a hand up to push her blade aside. "Terrified," he said with sarcasm.

Astrid narrowed her eyes. She wasn't going to let him out of this. "Defend yourself Haddock," was all the warning she gave before she started swinging at him.

Hiccup sighed as he dodged her attacked. He really didn't want to hurt her. He kept backing away and spinning around her, trying to get into her blind spot. He was hoping he could tire her out if he kept her chasing him. But after a few minutes Astrid didn't seem too winded. Seemed she'd built up a lot of stamina over the years.

Hiccup sighed to himself as he knew he was going to have to do something.

He waited as Astrid stared him down. Astrid frowned at Hiccup. It's like he wasn't taking her seriously. Why wasn't he drawing his swords?

With a war cry she charged at him and brought her sword down in a vertical arc.

Hiccup used that moment to strike. He quickly raised his right hand up and pressed the back of his hand against the flat of the blade. With a little force he pushed the blade to the side. Astrid's attack was carried forward by her momentum and her sword crashed into the ground and stuck. As she was about to pull it out she felt the cold steel of a knife at her throat. Hiccup had his Tanto at her throat and he looked at her sternly.

With a frown Astrid let go of her sword raised her hands up in surrender. Everyone around them was silent. They couldn't believe how easily he'd beaten her. Astrid was the best fighter of her generation.

"Looks like it's my win Astrid," Hiccup said calmly. "Good fight though. Now I'm hungry, you hungry?" he finished as his face broke into a warm smile.

But Astrid only scowled at him. She remained silent and glared. Hiccup shrugged before putting his Tanto away. Then he turned to leave the ring.

"Get back here Haddock," Astrid suddenly snarled behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see a fuming Astrid. "Fight me again. And use your swords this time," she demanded.

Hiccup turned around to face her. "Why?" he asked.

"Take me seriously, use your swords," she spat at him.

Hiccup sighed in annoyance. "I don't see the need to use them," he said with a shrug.

Astrid seethed at his words. It's like he was saying she wasn't worth the effort. Like she was that inferior to his fighting skills. In rage she snatched the sword out of the ground and charged. With a war cry she thrusted it forward. Everyone gasped as it looked like Hiccup wouldn't have time to react. Astrid was hoping that he would have to draw his sword to defend. Instead Hiccup simply clapped his hand together on both flat sides of the blade.

With an almost inhuman grip Astrid's stab was immediately halted. She tried to pull her sword free but it wouldn't budge.

"You're still a sore loser I see," Hiccup muttered. Astrid glared at him. Then his face broke into a smile. "But you're still beautiful when you're angry," he said staring into her eyes.

Astrid flinched in surprise and blushed at his compliment. Hiccup used her surprise. He pulled the blade forward and passed him and as Astrid stumbled forward he buried his fist into her stomach. Astrid coughed and doubled over in pain as the wind was knocked out of her. She fell to her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Wheezing she looked up to see Hiccup was not in front of her.

Then suddenly everything went black as a sharp blow to the back of the head knocked her unconscious.  
Hiccup had come around her and delivered a karate chop to the back of the head. As she feel forward he snaked and arm around her to keep her from falling to the floor.

"She's not going to be happy when she wakes up," he groaned out.

Knocking out the girl you liked seemed like a step in the wrong direction. But he knew Astrid wasn't going to let him leave without a fight. And she was probably going to challenge him again.

But besides that it had been nice to show people what he could do. He looked up to the surprised faces of the villagers and smiled. He could see they were impressed with him. They respected his battle skills. They acknowledged him as a warrior of equal skill.

None of them would ever think him weak anymore.

* * *

**New chapter. Hope you like. Hiccup and Astrid are slowly getting to know each other. They're practically strangers after all. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Tomorrow**

Astrid awoke several hours after her fight with Hiccup. As her eyes scanned the area she immediately saw she was in her room. And sitting next to her bed was Ruffnut.

"Well hey there sleeping beauty. Have a good nap?" she said cheekily.

Astrid threw her a withering look as she tried to remember what happened. She remembered fighting Hiccup. She remembered punching him punching her in the stomach. And then everything went black.

"Hiccup totally knocked you out," Ruffnut informed her as if sensing her confusion.

"What?" Astrid asked finding her voice.

"Yep. Totally knocked your lights out. And in front of the entire village," she said matter of factly.

Astrid processed this information and then released a mortified groan. The whole village had seen her lose. And to Hiccup. Not even that, she hadn't even been a match for him. All it took was two attacks to beat her. He hadn't even needed his swords. Anger fueled by embarrassment bubbled up within her.

"Where is he now?" she asked lowly.

"Probably the great hall. Its night time now," Ruffnut said with a shrug.

Astrid got out of bed and stomped out of her room. Leaving the house she immediately set off for the great hall with Ruffnut following behind her.

Everyone in the great hall was enthusiastically talking about Hiccup's victories. They were amazed by how well he could fight. No one would ever question if he could hold their own against them anymore. Stoick was prouder than ever. He bellowed in laughter as he bragged about his son's amazing combat skills.

Seated at the riders' table, Hiccup smiled to himself. He was proud of his skills and glad he could show people how far he'd come. But he didn't brag or join in the conversations about his victories, he was content to let the other people talk and remain humble. Currently he was sitting next to Fishlegs as he was adding things about the Japanese dragon to the Book of Dragons.

"So the Mizuchis can make it rain?" he asked inquisitively.

"Yep. Their saliva attracts water so when a group of them drools on a cloud they make it bigger until it bursts with rain. Raijin however, when working with his flock, can actually make cloud with his breath," he explained.

"That's amazing!" Fishlegs said as he wrote what Hiccup had said. "And each of the dragons have a king?" Fishlegs said looking up.

"Yes. There's Raijin, the Mizuchi king. Otojin, the Aoi king. Suijin, the Manda queen. And lastly Hojin, the Karyu king."

Fishlegs nodded before recording it. "So do the dragon kings divide territories?"

"Yes. Raijin and his flock mostly stick to the north. Suijin lives along the eastern coast. Otojin stays in his mountains in the west and Hojin keeps to his volcano in the south," Hiccup replied.

This went on for a few more minutes as Fishlegs kept asking questions about the Japanese dragons. Then they were interrupted. "Uh oh," Tuffnut said drawing their attention.

"Don't look now cuz, but I think you're about to be killed," Snotlout said with a smirk while motioning with his head toward the entrance to the great hall. Hiccup glanced over to see and very angry looking Astrid marching toward him.

Hiccup sighed. Just like he'd thought. She wasn't happy. He stood up and walked over to her. Once they were directly in front of each other Astrid looked up into his eyes and glared.

"So, that was a good fight. Very good. You're really skilled. I thinks it's safe to say that we're both incredibly good fighters and leave it at that," Hiccup said in an attempt to quell her anger.

It didn't work. Astrid tensed before throwing a jab at his face. But to her utter disappointment Hiccup reacted quicker. With his left hand he caught her arm by the wrist and stopped it in its tracks. Astrid growled before yanking her arm free and throwing another punch. But once again Hiccup stopped her attack with a block. She then tried to kick him but he blocked with his legs.

With a snarl Astrid advanced on him. Throwing punches and kicks that Hiccup seemed to easily read through and defend. Everyone in the hall watched in amusement. Astrid was way too quick to anger. But it seemed as if someone was actually skilled enough to withstand her wrath.

"Hold still," Astrid shouted in frustration.

Hiccup furrowed his brows at her. "Hold still so you can hit me?" he asked in disbelief at her demand.

"Yes," Astrid spat at him. If she could just hit him one time.

"Fine," Hiccup said standing up and dropping his battle stance.

Astrid raised an eyebrow at him. Was he really just going to let her hit him? She looked at his relaxed demeanor and his arms hanging at her side. After a moment of deliberation she advanced on him and threw a punch.

But Hiccup stopped her once again. Grabbed her arm firmly he then grabbed her by the front of her tunic with his free hand before whirling her around and slamming her back against a pillar in the great hall. Astrid winced in pain as her head hit the wooden pillar. She opened her eyes to glare at him but stiffened when he slammed his hands on either side of her head. She looked into his eyes and her own widened at the intense look he was giving her.

Hiccup stared into Astrid's eyes. He kept his face neutral as he evaluated her. Her blue were captivating. Like they'd always been. But she was still so hard to understand.

Astrid tried her best to fight the intense blush forming on her cheeks at Hiccup's close proximity. He was so close to her she could feel his breath on her face. Then he started to inch closer. Her eyes widened in uncertainty and her heart hammered in her chest. Was he going to kiss her? Apart of her was terrified at the thought of him stealing a kiss. But another part of her really hoped he would.

But before he could close the gap and press his lips against hers he stood up straight and took a step back. They held each other's gaze before Hiccup tore his away and made his way to the great hall exit. Astrid watched him go bewildered. She placed a hand over her chest to slow her racing heart. She really thought he was going to kiss her. And she was a little disappointed he hadn't.

"I challenge you to a fight Hiccup," she blurted out. Hiccup stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. Her inner warrior replacing her embarrassment with pride and determination she locked eyes with him. "Tomorrow. You'd better be ready," she growled out.

Hiccup looked straight ahead and released a gusty sigh. This is what he was afraid of. Now she was determined to fight him until she won. And of course his pride and honor as a samurai wouldn't condone him purposefully losing. Even to get her off his tail.

"Alright. High noon. The kill ring. I'll be there," he said firmly. With that he continued on his way and out the door.

Astrid smiled to herself. She was going to beat Hiccup. She was going to get him to take her seriously. With a plan formed in her mind she scanned the room until she saw Gobber. She walked over to him, intent on asking him a little information on samurai.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was at the forge. Gobber had given him permission to use it whenever he wanted. He started up the bellows started collecting iron pieces. If Astrid was intent on fighting him he was going to make sure he had a full arsenal to match her.

At high noon the next day Astrid was standing in the old kill ring. She was waiting for Hiccup to arrive. The village had gathered to watch her fight Hiccup once again. They were eager to see the young people fight. Astrid as confident she could beat Hiccup today. After talking with Gobber last night she'd learned that samurai apparently didn't use shields.

She figured that using a shield would throw Hiccup for a loop, so she had one on her arm. The crowd suddenly perked up as Hiccup strolled into the arena. They stared intently at what he had in his hands. Hiccup had predicted Astrid would go to Gobber for help and would learn that samurai didn't uses shields. So he'd spent nearly all the time before the fight preparing his answer.

A large, wooden, iron studded samurai style war bludgeon known as the Tetsubo. Everyone looked at it in amazement. Even Astrid was surprised. Slinging it over his shoulder he beckoned her to come at him.

Now in the hands of the burliest samurai the Tetsubo was a devastating weapon. But in the hands of Hiccup, a Viking, who was bigger and stronger than most Japanese men…that poor shield didn't last two swings before it was useless.

Then to put icing on the cake he broke Astrid's sword, revealing the use for the iron studs. With her defenseless and with no weapon she'd lost the match. But with a growl she challenged Hiccup to a fight the next day.

This time Astrid came armed with a spear, Hiccup came with a pole arm of his own. A Naginata. With the blade's incredible sharpness he slashed through her spear's shaft, wining him the match.

The next day she called him to a knife fight. Armed with a dagger against his Tanto they swiped and stabbed at each other before Hiccup wrestled her to the ground and had his knife at her throat.

Not willing to admit defeat she challenged Hiccup to a purely hand to hand fight. Underestimating how much he'd grown and learned he beat her with his fighting style consisting not only of strikes, kicks, and chops, but grapple holds, locks, and throws.

People stopped showing up after a while. They simply let the young pair have at it.

And though it seemed like they didn't nothing but fight and argue, it was progress. It was more than they'd done together when they were kids after all.

The villagers smiled to themselves as Astrid walked alongside Hiccup, muttering and swearing that she'd beat him one day while Hiccup sighed and groaned and wish she'd stop challenging him.

Viking courtship was a strange thing.

But it wasn't uncommon for a couple to bond through fighting.

"What do you mean no!?" Astrid yelled out.

"I mean no. I'm not fighting you today. I'm taking a break today," Hiccup said firmly as they walked through the village.

"But I was gonna challenge you to a sword fight," Astrid said in protest.

"Then go fight someone else. I'm sure some in the village would love to fight you," Hiccup said before he walked away from her. Astrid watched him walk away. He wasn't wearing his armor today. Hiccup had been in the village for three weeks now and sometime took his armor off. She assumed that meant he was comfortable enough to feel it unnecessary. That seemed like progress.

Hiccup seemed to be integrating himself back into the village. He had his old job as Gobber's apprentice and he'd eat with the riders during meal times. And through shadowing him Astrid had come to spend a lot of time together with him. She liked it.

And she loved to fight him. Fighting Hiccup was such a rush. His style was just so strange and foreign, but she couldn't deny its effectiveness. And honestly it felt as if her own technique was improving through fighting him. Her reflexes seemed to be improving and her technique became more refined. But she still couldn't come close to beating him. And to her frustration he still refused to use his swords against her. She wanted him to fight her with all he had.

Narrowing her eyes at his back her eyes were suddenly drawn to the little object resting to her right. It was an apple. Flicking her gaze between it and Hiccup's back she smiled mischievously. Then she swiped it up before hurling it at his back. It flew through the air and her aim was true. But as it was about to hit him he whirled around and in a flash sliced it in two. The two halves flew past him harmlessly.

Astrid gasped in amazement. She still couldn't believe how fast he could draw his swords.

"Would you like to try again milady," Hiccup called out jokingly. Astrid growled at him before grabbing more apples and hurling it at him. Hiccup smiled and drew his black sword before he began slicing at all the projectile she sent his way. Astrid kept throwing them in quick succession hoping to hit him at least once. But Hiccup kept splitting them in two with one swipe.

With her last apple she threw it as hard as she could. But with a smile he simply stabbed through it with his Katana. He stood up and pointed it at her proudly.

"I win," he said as he stuck his tongue out at her.

Astrid was about to tell him off when a figure other right caught her attention. She glanced to her right to see and very irate village women looming over her with her hands on her hips.

"I hope you were planning to pay for them apples lass," she said sternly.

Astrid blinked in surprise. That's when she realized she'd just thrown a whole bunch of this women's apples from her cart and at Hiccup. She smiled sheepishly and blushed in embarrassment. She looked to Hiccup for help only to find him nowhere in sight.

Astrid cursed inwardly before sighing in defeat. Turning to face the women she looked up into her eyes. "How much do I owe you?"

Astrid walked through the village in search of Hiccup. She'd just paid for all the apples they'd wasted by herself and was annoyed he hadn't attempted to chip in. Stalking through the village in search of him she stopped when she heard a crunching sound. She glanced to her left to find him sitting on a barrel, eating an apple with an amused smile on his face.

Narrowing her eyes she stomped over to him. Standing directly in front of him she put her hands on her hips and looked at him expectantly.

"Hello there Astrid. Want some?" he said holding out the apple to her.

"How come you didn't chip in?" Astrid demanded.

"I didn't throw those apples," Hiccup said looking innocent.

Astrid glared at him reproachfully. But his smile made her anger fade. It was kind of funny if she thought about it. With a sigh she took the apple from him. She sat on a barrel next to him as they watched the villagers come and go.

"I'm going for a flight off the island tomorrow," Hiccup aid breaking the silence. Astrid looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I already cleared it with my dad. So he wouldn't send a search party after me. Wanna come?" he asked her.

Astrid mulled it over. He was probably going to look for some uncharted islands. He'd showed her his map project and she had to admit it was interesting. Plus it would allow them to spend time together with just the two of them.

"Sure, why not?" she said with a shrug.

Hiccup smiled widely. "Great. It's a date then," he said.

Astrid eyes widened at what he'd said. A date? Them spending alone time together. Just the two of them. Yeah…that was kind of what a date entailed. She blushed lightly at the thought. She and Hiccup were going on their first date. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.

Staring down at the apple in her hand she raised it up to her mouth and took a bite. She bit into the spot where Hiccup had bitten into it.

"You know in Japan we'd call what you did an indirect kiss," Hiccup said suddenly.

Astrid nearly choked. She coughed and tried to regain her breath as Hiccup chuckled to himself. She glared at him before looking away shyly. She flushed and smiled to herself.

Maybe soon they wouldn't be indirect. If their date went well at least.

With a happy smiled she continued eating the apple. Savoring the fruity goodness and wondering what tomorrow could bring.

* * *

**Dedicated to guest reviewer T.N Happy birthday! Hope you like this chapter and sorry it is kind of short and not super exciting. But if you have a request for a Hiccstrid fluff scene submit a review and i'll consider adding it to the story. **

**Some Hiccstrid fluff**


	13. Chapter 13

**First Date**

The next morning Astrid woke up with a smile on her face. She was excited for today. She and Hiccup were going on their date today. Their first date. She excitedly got ready. She brushed her hair to a glossy sheen and plaited it as deftly as she could. Then she got dressed before checking her appearance. With a smile she grabbed her axe before heading downstairs and grabbed a small bag of food for the day.

Coming out of her home she smiled at the beauty of the morning. She couldn't remember ever looking forward to something so much. Going to Stormfly's stable she saddled her dragon before leading her to a feeding station so she could eat breakfast. As her dragon ate Astrid pulled out an apple to munch on.

"Good morning milady," came a familiar voice. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Hiccup. He was dressed in his samurai armor and Toothless was beside him.

"Don't call me that," Astrid said with a frown. Hiccup just gave her his crooked grin.

"Whatever you say…Astrid-chan," he said with a cheeky smile.

Astrid wasn't sure what that meant but she was sure it was to the same effect as what he'd addressed her as before. She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face shyly and hid a small smile. She kind of liked him giving her a pet name.

"So are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said as she held up a bag of food and patted Stormfly on the leg. The dragon lifted her head up from the feeding station before squawking that she was ready. Hiccup nodded. Then he put on his riding helmet before mounting Toothless. Astrid mounted Stormfly and then looked to him when she was situated. With a nod they gave their dragons the single to go and in a few moments they were both in the air and headed away from Berk.

* * *

Astrid and Stormfly flew just a behind Toothless and Hiccup. Hiccup had led them southward saying that he hadn't explored much in that direction. Astrid simply followed his lead as they flew at an even pace over the vast expanse of ocean.

As they flew Astrid looked at Hiccup's back. She still couldn't believe how much Hiccup had grown. She wondered when he'd hit his growth spurt. And did he grow all at once or did it take a while? Then there were his shoulders. They were so broad, so manly. And though she'd never say it to anybody she really liked the way he looked in his armor. He just filled it out so well. It made him look so powerful, so imposing, and always ready for anything.

Astrid really hoped she could get closer to him. She wanted to know about all the things he'd done in the six years he'd been gone. She wanted to know if there had been someone in Japan that'd made a place in his heart that she so desperately wanted to occupy.

Then suddenly Toothless spread his wings to slow down. Astrid coked an eyebrow as Hiccup suddenly and Toothless suddenly dropped back and flew along their right side. Hiccup looked at her and his eyes showed the traces of a smile.

"I see some sea stacks up ahead, how about we have a little race through them?" he said in challenge. Astrid squinted her eyes and looked ahead. And sure enough there were some sea stacks that could be seen in the distance.

With a smile she looked back to Hiccup. "So you think you can beat the dragon racing champion do you?" she asked confidently.

Hiccup chuckled underneath his helmet. "You may be the dragon racing champion of Berk. But you're looking at the dragon racing champion of Japan," he said as he jerked a thumb at himself.

"Oh so a little East meets West competition is that it?" she asked with grin.

"Looks like it," he said just as he directed Toothless into a dive.

"Hey!" Astrid said indignantly before directing Stormfly to follow. Her Nadder obliged and went into a nose dive. She could see her rivals ahead of them and smiled at the challenge. Astrid had always loved competition. In any form. It was one of the reasons she liked fighting Hiccup so much.

Hiccup glanced over his shoulder and smiled. Leaning over he patted Toothless on the head before whispering in his ear. The dragon huffed in reply before spreading his wings. They slowed down until they were even with Astrid and Stormfly. Hiccup and Astrid locked eyes and an excited smile formed on their faces.

Then facing forward they both pulled up on their dragons to get them out of the dive just a few feet above the water. Now skimming the surface their dragon pumped their wings to gain speed as they approached the stacks in the distance.

Astrid's adrenaline was rushing through her veins as she urged Stormfly on. But Toothless was faster. Hiccup and him pulled ahead of her and reached the archway of the first stacks. They flew through it with Astrid and Stormfly on their tail.

All through the maze of stacks there were jagged rocks jutting out of the ocean. Each one capable of seriously maiming and even killing the dragons and their humans. But that didn't worry them at all. They trusted in each other. In the power and strength of their bonds. And together both teams wove though the maze effortlessly.

Astrid gave a whoop of celebration as she managed to take the lead. Ahead she saw the end of the stacks that lead directly into the ocean. She deemed that to be the finish line and with a smile she urged Stormfly to fly faster. Her dragon obliged and pumped her wings harder.

Just as it looked like she was going to win a black blur that was Toothless shot ahead of them. Astrid's jaw dropped as she saw Toothless shoot past them. She couldn't believe how fast he truly was. With a small curse she tried to get Stormfly to catch up but her dragon wasn't fast enough. So Hiccup and Toothless gave a celebratory cheer as they flew out of the maze of stacks and won the race.

Astrid frowned at having lost. She'd never liked losing. Something that hadn't changed about her since childhood. As she and Stormfly came out of the stacks she pulled up beside Hiccup and Toothless. She looked over at him and saw his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm and pride. Her disappointment evaporated. It didn't feel too bad to lose to Hiccup. She just couldn't feel too upset about it.

So with a smile she faced forward as Hiccup pulled ahead. In the distance they could see an island. Toothless sped toward it. Obviously excited. Astrid wondered if this was a new uncharted island.

Together bot pairs headed for it. Eager to rest and explore.

* * *

"Found another one," Hiccup said to himself as he began sketching the island they'd found onto his map. The group had flown over the island and decided to take a break.

"What should we call it bud?" he asked looking to his dragon. The dragon cocked his head to the side and gave a draconic shrug. "'Shrug Island'?" he asked jokingly. "Nah," he said with a shake of his head. He looked over to Astrid who was petting Stormfly. "Hey Astrid, any ideas for a name for this place?"

Astrid turned to look at him. Then she brought a hand up to tap her chin in thought. "How about…Squawk Island," she said. Getting inspiration from her dragon's cries for attention.

Hiccup mulled it over in his mind. "Squawk Island it is," he said before turning back to draw the island on his map. Astrid smiled and shook her head. She couldn't believe he really went for that. She knew he named all his islands strange names. Like Achoo for instance.

"So you hungry?" Hiccup asked not looking up.

Astrid thought about it before giving a light shrug. "I guess I could eat," she said casually.

Hiccup smiled before putting his map away. Then he went over to Toothless and reached into his saddle bad and pulled out a large woolen blanket. Then he spread it out over a patch of softer ground overlooking the ocean. With a bow he gestured for Astrid to have a seat. After grabbing her sack of food from Stormfly she did.

She watched as Hiccup pulled out a small basket from Toothless' saddle before taking a seat next to her. He reached for his sash and pulled out both of his swords before placing them at his side. Astrid reached into her sack and pulled out a piece of bread before munching on it. Behind them their dragons began to play a game of chase.

Astrid watched as Hiccup reached into his basket and pulled out ac canteen, a couple of strange ball, and some other things she had no idea what they were. As she continued to eat her bread she watched Hiccup bring one of the white balls up to his mouth before taking a bite. She watched as his face had a happy expression, obviously enjoying his meal.

"What's that Hiccup?" Astrid asked curiously.

Hiccup paused as he was about to take another bite and turned to answer her. "It's called O-nigiri. A rice ball," he explained. Astrid cocked her head to the side. What was rice? "Rice is a kind of grain they grow in the east. Johan stopped by with some a few days ago so I got some," he explained further.

Astrid 'hmmed' thoughtfully at this new bit of information. Then Hiccup reached down and picked up another one before extending it out for her to take.

"Try one."

Astrid stared at the strange ball before slowly reaching out and accepting it. She examined it for a moment before bringing it to her mouth a taking a bite. It was strange. The texture of the grains were new to her. But it was actually very good.

"Mmmmm."

"Good right?" Astrid turned to look at Hiccup and nodded. Finishing her first rice ball she reached out and took another without even asking. "Hey, that was rude you know," Hiccup said to chastise her. Astrid only smiled proudly and stuck her tongue out at him. Hiccup just chuckled and shook his head.

Done with the rice ball Hiccup moved on to his other dish. Astrid watched him pick up the strange food with two finger before bringing it to his mouth and eating it.

"This is sushi, try one," he said holding one out for her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well its rice and raw fish," he explained.

Astrid flinched in surprise. Raw fish? Gross! "Ewww. No way am I eating raw f—," he protest was cut off as Hiccup quickly popped a piece of sushi into her mouth. Astrid's eyes widened in surprise before she instinctually gave the food an experimental chew. And to her surprise it was actually very good. "Oh wow! That is delicious," she said in surprise.

"I know right," he said with a smile. Together they hungrily dug into their meal. With Astrid continuing to swipe food off Hiccup's side despite his gentle protests. When they finally finished their meal and washed it down Astrid produced some small pies for dessert.

"So I was thinking," Astrid said aloud. Hiccup turned his attention to her, pie in hand. "You'd make an excellent wife," Astrid said with a playful smile. "You're such a great cook after all."

"Oh ha ha. Very funny Astrid," Hiccup said with sarcasm.

Astrid sniggered to herself. "So who taught you how to make this stuff," she inquired.

"Yoko-san," he said before taking a bite from his pie.

"Was she the wife of the guy who trained you?"

"Yes. Daichi's wife," Hiccup said with a fond smile. He missed his Japanese family very much. Yoko-san, the woman who'd been the mother he'd never had. Daichi, the man who'd been the father he'd needed. And then Kyoshi, the man he'd grown up besides as if they were brothers.

Astrid nodded. Hiccup had told her bits about his life in Japan and his surrogate family. He spoke very fondly of them.

"So when did you become a samurai?" she asked next.

"Right before I left. It was a final gift from the Shogun for all I'd done for his people."

"And what was that code you were telling me about? The one the samurai live by?"

"Bushido, the way of the warrior. They're the eight principles samurai try to live their life by. They are rectitude, courage, honesty, honor, politeness, loyalty, self-control, and mercy," he explained.

Astrid couldn't help but think that was pretty cool. To follow a code with such principles. To hold yourself to such standards. Astrid flushed slightly and brushed some hair out of her face before getting ready to ask her next question.

"So…was there someone special you left behind in Japan?" she muttered lowly.

"Special how?" Hiccup said staring out over the horizon.

Astrid felt the heat grow in her cheeks. "You know…like a girl who was more than a friend," she said lowly.

"Oh that kind of special. Nah," he said. He turned to look at her. "No Japanese girl could handle all of this raw Vikingness," he said before striking a pose. Astrid laughed at him. And hid her relief that there'd been no one else in Hiccup's life. She wasn't sure why that was so good to know.

For a few more hours they talked casually. Astrid asked questions about his training and Hiccup asked her about the village and what she'd done all these years. And as they spoke Astrid was pleased to see that while Hiccup had grown up and changed, there was still traces of the young boy he once was. Astrid was so glad to see that she still had a chance to get to know him. That a small part of them could pick up where they left off all those years ago.

The pair were having such a good time that Astrid didn't even feel the desire to challenge Hiccup to a duel. She was content on just sitting back and enjoying their date.

* * *

After a few hours of enjoying each other's company the pair hunted for fish for their dragons before taking off and flying some more. The sun was beginning to set as they flew side by side. Astrid knew any minute now that they would have to head back to Berk. She was slightly disheartened by this fact and wished she could have more time alone with Hiccup.

They continued to fly until the sun fully set. Above them the skies was illuminated by the stars. Both of them gazed in wonder and Hiccup released a sigh. There was just something about looking at the stars from your own land that made them seem all the more beautiful. He glanced behind him at Astrid who was staring at the same stars and he smiled to himself. He had really wanted to go exploring so he could get some time alone with her. And he'd felt he'd accomplished that.

He could feel that they were steadily growing closer. Soon, who knew where their relationship could go? Maybe they could become more than just friends.

But he still didn't know exactly what Astrid felt for him. At the very least he guessed she didn't hate him. But with the way she always challenged him to duel he was beginning to think that maybe she just saw him as a new opponent to increase her own battle prowess. Well maybe he could change that.

Looking ahead he spotted an island covered in orange lights. He assumed it must have been a village. He pursed his lips in thought as he tried to think of what tribe's territory they were in. He didn't remember at the moment. As they flew closer Toothless perked his ears up and growled.

"What is it bud?" Hiccup asked his dragon in concern. Toothless growled some more before motioning with his head toward the island. Taking a closer look, Hiccup could see that some of the houses were on fire. He was about to assume that it was a simple village fire when he heard screams of panic and cries of battle. Scanning the waters he saw ships docked at the island.

And their sails were purple.

"Vandals," Hiccup spat with hate. Seemed like these guys were popping up everywhere. "Astrid!" Hiccup called out to get her attention. When she pulled up beside him he continued. "That village is being attacked. I say we help them," he called out.

Astrid looked ahead and saw what he had. She narrowed her eyes in determination. "Agreed," she responded.

Hiccup nodded before training his eyes ahead. With a pat on the side he urged Toothless to increase speed. The dragon growled and complied. They were going to help these people.

* * *

The Vandals were winning this battle. They'd found this small village while the sailed through the waters and decided to do a raid. They came ashore and were met with the village's defenders. But the village was small and the raider's numbers were over 100. They would win. And when they did they would have their way with this place and its inhabitants.

But the village's defenders weren't going down without a fight. The men and women grabbed their weapons and charged to meet the raiders. They may have been small in number but they were big in heart. Though they cursed themselves at letting themselves get so lax on security. It had been decades since they'd been attacked by anything.

The elderly and children were being evacuated as best they could. They were being moved out of the village and away from the fighting.

Amma, a village elder was leading the groups of children out of the village. Old though she was she led them quite quickly for a woman her age. She walked between houses and alleys to stay out of sight. Just as they came to the edge of the village that led to the forests where they would hide a large Vandal stepped into their path.

"Going somewhere ya old biddie?" he asked evilly. The children behind Amma all trembled and paled at the large man in front of them. But Amma narrowed her eyes at the man and held her walking stick at the ready, prepared to give her life for the children if she had to. The man cackled before drawing his sword. Then he swung it at her. Amma's stick was knocked out of her hands and she fell due to her lack of balance.

The man sneered as he watched the old woman fall to the ground and attempt to get up. As he raised a sword to finish her a young boy stood in front of her with a dagger pointed at him.

"Oh, so we have a hero among us?" he said mockingly to the young boy. The boy put on a brave face but his trembling betrayed his bravado. "What a noble lad you are lad. Too bad heroes don't live long," the man said as he raised his sword to cut down the child.

Amma attempted to stand up and get the boy behind her as she watched the man prepare to finish him. But she was helpless as she saw him bring his sword down. The children all closed their eyes and screamed in terror. The boy stood his ground. Just as it seemed like the boy would be cut down the man's sword was stopped as a black blur suddenly put itself between the man and the boy.

The man's eyes went wide as he saw his sword had been stopped by two other sword. Crossed above a man covered in black armor he only got a glimpse of burning green eyes before his sword arm was shoved back and in a flash he was cut down.

Amma and the children all stood there in shock as they saw this armored man suddenly cut down one of the raiders. He'd come out of nowhere. Amma remained on the gorund until a pair of strong hands grabbed her gently by the shoulders and lifted her to her feet. She glanced behind her to see a young blonde woman she'd never seen. The young woman handed her walking stick which she accepted.

"Elder, you must get the children to safety," the woman said. Amma stared at the woman for a moment before nodding and gesturing for the children to follow her as she continued to lead them to safety.

"Hiccup we need to join the fighting," Astrid called out. Hiccup turned around and nodded. Together they charged toward the center of the village, weapons at the ready and adrenaline surging through them. When they reached the village center they paused as they saw the villagers and the raiders engaging in combat. Picking out opponents they both gave a war cry before rushing into the fray.

The Vandals and villagers were surprised by the new additions to the battle but the villager quickly assessed them as friends while the Vandals immediately recognized them as foes. But some of the Vandals recognized Hiccup as something else.

"The Dark Demon," some of them would whisper as they watched him cut their forces down. Some of them tried to retreat. They'd heard the stories of the monster who'd killed their comrades so easily. But their escape was cut off when their ships would suddenly go up in a blue flash of flames and a wall of fire stopped them in their tracks.

With a war cry Astrid swung the flat of her axe across a Vandal's head with enough force to knock him out. Another charging at her was downed by a vicious slash across the lower torso. A cry behind her alerted her to a charging Vandal and reaching for her hatchet at her belt she gave a toss. It flew true and buried itself into his shoulder. The man fell to the ground with a pined cry only to be finished off the villagers.

With some breathing room Astrid scanned the area for Hiccup. She wanted to make sure he was ok. But darting her head back and forth she could not make him out. She began to grow worried when a Vandal was thrown out of the lower window of a home. She looked at the home curiously before a few moments later another man came flying out of the window on the second floor. Then another came out of the window on the side of the house. A few moments later Hiccup walked out with a little girl in his arms. He'd run into the house to rescue the girl after hearing her frightened screams.

Quickly a woman detached herself form the fight to retrieve her from his arms and with a quick thanks rushed out of the village to get her to safety. Astrid smiled to herself. Hiccup was such a good man. But her admiration of him cut off as she hear the familiar sound of an arrow being drawn back.

In front of her several Vandals had arrow aimed right at her. Astrid stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Then the Vandals fired. Astrid thought for sure she'd be riddles with arrows before Hiccup suddenly dashed in front of her.

Having pulled out his staff he spun it in front of him and deflected all the arrows. Much to the Vandal's and Astrid's amazement.

"You're on offense," Hiccup said looking over his shoulder at her.

"Right," Astrid replied getting her head back in the game. Hiccup started advancing on the Vandals as they reached for more arrows. But when they fired Hiccup would spin his staff, creating an impenetrable barrier that kept the arrows from getting to either him or Astrid. Finally within swinging distance he ducked to allow Astrid to lash out at a Vandal. The man raised his bow in defense but Astrid cut though it with one swing before slashing him open.

If Astrid thought fighting against Hiccup was a rush fighting alongside him was a thrilling experience in itself. As they fought side by side she couldn't help but notice how in synch they seemed to be. It's like they'd been doing it for years. One by one they took down the invaders, never getting in each other's way and covering each other's back if they were being outflanked. Eventually Toothless and Stormfly landed and battled alongside their rider, spitting fire and swatting the invaders away.

Finally standing back to back Hiccup and Astrid noticed that there were no other enemies around them. Or none standing at least. All around their feet were either unconscious or dead Vandals. They smiled proudly as the villagers gave a cheer of victory.

"Who are you then?" a man said as he came over to the pair.

"I'm Astrid Hofferson of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe of Berk. This is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III," she stated, gesturing a hand to Hiccup who kneeled down to interrogate a semi-conscious Vandal.

"Who is your leader?" Hiccup demanded harshly as he held a Vandal up by his tunic. The man glared and remained silent. "Fine," Hiccup said dropping the man and standing up. He turned to look at the villager addressing them. "They're all yours. Do with them what you will. I suggest you increase your defenses and keep an eye on your waters."

The villager nodded in thanks before ore of his people came forward to apprehend the raiders. With the crisis averted Hiccup and Astrid mounted their dragons and flew home.

* * *

"OH MAN THAT WAS SO AWESOME!" Astrid cried excitedly as Hiccup walked her to her front door. It was fully nighttime by the time they arrived with only a few villager bustling about. Their dragons followed behind them as the pair recounted the day.

"When you used you staff to block all those arrows," Astrid remembered in amazement.

"How about when you knocked that guy out with your axe? In ONE swing mind you," Hiccup said praising her.

"Man there must have been like a hundred of those guys. And we totally kicked their butts," Astrid said with no small amount of pride. Going to Stormfly's stable she unsaddled her dragon before walking to her front door. Walking up the steps she paused and turned around to face Hiccup.

"I bet you probably took out fifty of those guys. At the minimum," Hiccup said impressed. Astrid smiled and blushed.

"You really know how to show a girl a good time," she said with a genuine smile.

"I try," Hiccup responded with his crooked grin. Astrid chuckled.

"I had a really good time today Hiccup," she said honestly. She blushed slightly at her blatant admission and brushed some hair out of her face.

"So did I," Hiccup said earnestly. Then he flushed a little before bring a hand up to rub the back of his head. "Maybe we can do this again sometime. Might fight a whole armada as a second date," he joked.

"You promise?" Astrid asked playfully.

Hiccup chuckled and shook his head. Astrid chuckled back. And with a goodnight she entered her home. But not before casting last glance at Hiccup and giving him a warm smile before she shut the door.

Hiccup smiled to himself. Today had gone good. He'd even say he considered their date to be a success. Hiccup walked to his home proudly. He really had changed. He wasn't that little kid anymore who was too afraid and awkward to chase after what he wanted.

And he wanted Astrid.

And now, he felt he had an honest to goodness chance of winning her heart. It wouldn't be easy. She was still Astrid Hofferson after all. But in time he was sure she could get him to see him as something more than a worthy opponent.

Unbeknownst to him he already had.

* * *

**New chapter. Hope you like. And to answe some question. No, Valka will not be in this story, so stop asking. The Vandals do have a leader and he;d a bad dude and the antagonist of the stroy who will be revealed at a later time.**


	14. Chapter 14

**The Suitor**

It was nice day on Berk. The chief was assisting the villagers as they put the finishing touches on the Solstice clan houses. Gaer and his son in law smiled proudly as they wipe sweat off their brows from a good day of work. Stoick smiled with them, seeing them work so well with the other members of the tribe. He smiled wider as he saw Hiccup hammering in the front door.

He was dressed in his regular Viking outfit and he'd offered to help them. Hiccup's crafting skills were second to none, making him a valued member of the team. And as they worked Hiccup would idly chat with the villagers and laugh alongside them as they told jokes. It lifted Stoick's sprits to see his son was actually fitting in.

He hadn't broached the subject of Hiccup's readmission to the tribe, not wanting to pressure him. He didn't want to drive him away again. As Hiccup finished with the door he took a step back to admire and scrutinize his work. He gave a satisfied nod as Stoick walked up from behind him.

"Good job son," Stoick said proudly.

Hiccup turned around with a smile. "Thanks dad," he said warmly.

Stoick handed him a canteen and led them to a bench for a small break. Stoick looked at his son out of the corner of his eyes. He could still hardly believe how much he'd changed. He was so different. Stronger, braver, but still intelligent and quick witted. Stoick truly regretted having missed those six years and seeing him become such a man.

"So son," he began to make conversation. Hiccup turned to look to look at him and motioned with his head to go on. "Tell me about the man who trained you to fight."

Hiccup smiled fondly. "His name is Daichi. He is the general of the shogun's army," he said proudly. "He kind of forced me into it. I shouldn't have really been allowed to train in the samurai combat arts. But he asked the shogun for permission and the shogun said yes," he explained with a shrug.

"And how was the training?" Stoick inquired.

"Brutal. I wasn't really used to exercise. At least not the intense stuff the samurai do. It was a slow start a first. But Daichi was a patient man."

Stoick nodded in understanding.

"And his son would also help by sparring with me. We'd stay up late at night and practice our sword skills. And at first, I was always covered in bruises from our sessions. But eventually I got better."

"Daichi said I was a natural fighter. Said I picked up the teachings fairly quickly. He suggested that I just wasn't suited to the 'Viking Way' of fighting," he explained with a shrug.

Stoick's shoulders and head dropped in shame and guilt. He'd tried to train Hiccup too in the past. But his lack of strength and natural skill always made him lose patience. But now…seeing what he could've helped him become…

"Still. I always assumed that Haddock blood in me finally kicked in," Hiccup said elbowing his father in the ribs with a smile.

Stoick smiled back and chuckled. It was good to hear him say he was still a Haddock. It meant he hadn't lost him entirely.

"By the way son. I noticed you and Astrid seem to be getting really close," Stoick put out there.

Hiccup flinched at the mention of Astrid. He couldn't stop the slight blush to his cheeks. "Well…I mean…we're ok I guess," Hiccup stammered out nervously.

Then as if on cue Astrid walked into his field of vision. She noticed him and gave him a smile and a small wave. Flushing he smiled back nervously and gave a wave of his own. Astrid brushed some hair out of her eyes before walking away to continue her own business.

"Looks like you could be better than ok," Stoick said with a smirk.

Hiccup only flushed and drank his canteen. Stoick chuckled. It looked like there was at least one milestone he hadn't quite missed just yet.

* * *

Hiccup sat on a barrel of the old kill ring as Astrid and the riders were giving a lesson on Sharp class dragons to the younger children.

"And thus when approaching a Nadder, stay in the blind spot. But be careful for its spines. Now any questions?" she asked the group. Immediately hands flew up into the air. Interestingly they were all girls.

"Ok. You," Astrid said pointing to a young red head with pig tails.

The little girl smiled before flicking her gaze between Hiccup and Astrid. "Is Hiccup your boyfriend?" she said pointing to the young man.

Both Astrid and Hiccup flushed red in embarrassment. Astrid was wide eyed as she tried to think of something to say.

"Yeah Astrid. We're all dying to know," Ruffnut said with a smirk. Astrid threw her a death glare.

"Uhm. No he isn't," Astrid said evenly. "Next?" she asked. More hands flew up.

"How about you?" she asked to a small brunette.

"Do you want him to be?" she asked innocently. Astrid palmed her face. The little girls were all young and curious about their teacher's love life. Sweet but a little annoying.

"Any questions about dragons?" she asked. No hands came up. Alright then, class dismissed," she said. The children all got up and started filing out of the arena. Many pausing to give Hiccup a wave. Astrid released a breath before punching Ruffnut in the arm. The other girl grumbled from the pain and rubbed the sore spot as Astrid walked away and towards Hiccup.

"Ready to go?" she asked him.

Hiccup nodded and stood up. "Sure," he said.

With that they both started to leave the arena. They'd been getting closer since their first date. It no longer felt like she was shadowing him. It just felt like they were hanging out. She also didn't challenge him to fights as much. It was good. Though Astrid was anxiously awaiting for him to ask her on another date.

"Hey Hiccup?" she asked aloud to get his attention. He turned his head slightly to look at her. "How come you always walk around with your swords?" she asked as she looked down at the swords at his hip.

Hiccup pursed his lips in thought. He really couldn't say why. He just liked to. They were special to him. "The samurai believe a warrior's spirits is embodied by their swords. They're very important to us," he said with a shrug.

"Can I see them?" Astrid asked. She could see the reluctance in Hiccup's eyes to part with them. She understood. She was the same way with her favorite axe. But then he reached and slipped his Katana from his belt before holding it out for her. Astrid accepted it and was surprised by the weight. Hiccup wielded them so effortlessly. He was definitely stronger than he looked.

Astrid slowly unsheathed it and marveled at the blades brilliant luster. She could tell it was well maintained. It looked polished and sharpened. Hiccup was obviously very proud of it. She sheathed it and handed it back. Hiccup accepted it and looped it through his belt before handing her his other sword.

She took it and was surprised by its lightness. She unsheathed it and eyed the strange black metal curiously. She thought back to what she saw this blade do. It could cleave through swords and axe heads so easily.

"What is this metal Hiccup?" she asked curiously.

"I call it Aoi Steel," he informed her.

"Aoi…isn't that the names of those boulder class species in Japan?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

Hiccup paused as he contemplated whether or not to tell her. "Well, the Aois eat rocks and ore and they mix in their stomachs. Then they poop out this special black ore that can be refined into Aoi Steel," he explained. He watched as Astrid processed that information. And then her eyes went wide as she realized what that meant.

"Ewww!" she shrieked as she dropped the sword like it were hot. It clattered to the ground. "This sword is made from dragon shit?" she yelled incredulously.

"Well…yeah," Hiccup said calmly as he bent down to pick up his sword. He didn't bother inspecting it for damage, Aoi steel was damn near indestructible.

"That's so disgusting," Astrid said with a shudder.

"Hey it works," Hiccup said mildly offended.

"Weirdo," Astrid said wrinkling her nose at him. Hiccup chuckled and they continued to walk along. Astrid thought about the metal. She couldn't help but wonder…

"You think Gronckles or other Boulder class dragons can make the same kind of ore?" Astrid asked curiously.

"Maybe. Who knows," Hiccup said with a shrug. Astrid shrugged too. It seemed like she learned something new about dragons every day.

"Hey Hiccup you think you could make me a samurai weapon?"

"I could if you really wanted," he offered.

"Would you really?" Astrid asked excitedly.

"Yeah. What would you want?"

Astrid tapped her chin in thought. She didn't know much about samurai weapons beside what she'd seen. And she doubted Hiccup would make her a Katana of her own.

"Surprise me," she told him. Hiccup looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Then as they walked along he started thinking of what weapon would suit Astrid. He wanted to make it special.

It had to be as perfect as she was.

* * *

The next day Astrid and Hiccup had been spending time in the forest while Hiccup practiced his sword technique. Astrid was amazed at the way Hiccup practiced. He would slice leaves as they fell from the tree in one quick slash before sheathing his sword. Then he would wait for the next one and repeat.

She tried doing it too. Needless to say it was much harder than it looked.

They walked back to the village with her grumbling and flushing in embarrassment while Hiccup attempted to console her when they noticed people heading to the kill ring. Curious they made their way there as well. When they got there they saw a majority of the village looking down into the kill ring. Hearing the clash of metal they both assumed there was a match going on inside.

They pushed passed the crowds and looked into the ring to see a stranger sword fighting with a villager. He was a tall man. A few inches taller than Hiccup. He had long black hair that ran down to the middle of his back and tied in a ponytail. He was very muscular but not huge and rippling like most Vikings. He had a well groomed short beard and brown eyes.

He was very skilled. They watched as he parried and blocked the villager's attacks with ease before with one swing of his long sword he disarmed the villager and sent his sword flying through the air. Then he knocked the villager off his feet before pointing the sword down at him. The villager bowed his head in defeat before the man helped him up.

The crowd cheered, impressed by the man's skill as another villager entered the arena. Again the man was easily defeated.

"He's quite good," Hiccup said casually.

"Better than you?" Astrid asked playfully. Hiccup continued to watch as he analyzed the man's sword play. He wouldn't say the man was better or worse. But he would definitely be a good opponent.

"Astrid. There ya are lass," came a vice behind the pair. They turned to see Astrid's parents waling up to them.

"Dad. Were you looking for me?" Astrid asked.

"Yes dear. We have some exciting news," her father said with a smile.

"Ah, this must be her then. What a lovely young lady she is," a man piped in as he walked up beside her father. It was the man who'd they'd just witnessed fighting. He smiled at Astrid in a friendly manner. Astrid raised an eyebrow and looked at her parents inquisitively.

"Astrid. This is Ulrik. Ulrik the Unbeatable," he said with a proud smile.

Astrid took in the information. She looked at the man and gave him a small smile in return. "Uhm…it's nice to meet you," she said hesitantly.

"Astrid. This is the suitor we were telling you about," her father finally revealed.

Astrid's stomach dropped to her feet. How could she have forgotten about that? She turned to look at Hiccup. She found his face neutral and smooth. Not exactly happy or unhappy about hearing this news.

"Oh," was all she could think to say.

"I'm going to go," Hiccup said as he started to walk away.

"Hiccup hold on," Astrid piped in hurriedly.

"I'll see you later Astrid," he said as he continued on his way. He didn't even turn around. Just lifted a hand up in a passive goodbye wave.

"It's good to meet you Astrid. I've travelled a long way. I hope that you'll at least give me a chance to win your heart," Ulrik said in earnest.

Astrid turned to look at him. So the man wasn't ugly, she had to admit. And he was skilled with a sword. But…

Astrid's mother came forward. "You don't have to marry him lass. Just at least spend some time with him. Put in some effort. If you don't like him then no harm," her mother whispered into her ear. She pulled away and gave her mother an appreciative smile.

Well, it would be rude to just send the man on his way. She had to at least try to be friendly to him. And it's not like she had to marry him.

She could do this. She could put up with his company for a few days.

But she wasn't sure how Hiccup would take it. He hadn't seemed too happy to hear who he was.

She prayed this wouldn't come between them. So with a breath she put on a friendly smile.

"Welcome to Berk."

* * *

**New chapter. Sorry for the wait. I know tis no the longest but its steeing things up.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Challenge**

Astrid was sitting with Ulrik as he talked about his life at home. He'd been on Berk for three days and she had to admit he wasn't terrible company. He was polite, kind, and she'd dare to say charming. He was a little arrogant and haughty but insufferably so like say, Snotlout. All in all she didn't hate the guy. But she was definitely not going to marry him. He'd make a great friend though.

Unfortunately spending time with him over the last few days mea she hadn't spent any of it with Hiccup. And she wasn't sure…but he seemed bothered by it. She'd tried to wave to him in passing or make small talk but he would either ignore her wave or reply in short one word responses before continuing on his way.

She really hoped she wouldn't have to do this much longer. She could feel a wedge driving them apart.

"So I hear you village was attacked by those damned Vandals Astrid?" Ulrik piped in.

Astrid focused back on him. "Yeah it was. Took us by surprise during our yearly celebration," she explained.

"Damn raiders. I've face quite a few of their groups already. Single handedly. They were no match for me," he said proudly.

"Uh huh," was all she said in response. The guy could talk about himself forever. But to be fair it was pretty impressive that he'd never been beaten in a battle. But even she thought putting 'Unbeatable' in your title was a little too grandiose.

A few tables away Hiccup stared at Astrid and her suitor bitterly. He didn't know why he was mad. It's not like she and him were together. And why shouldn't she have a suitor. She was an eligible Viking girl of marrying age. She probably had a whole throng of potential suitor who'd give anything to marry her.

_Stupid…stupid…stupid_, he thought to himself. He felt like an idiot for thinking he stood a chance. Not when there was an entire archipelago to compete with. And that Ulrik guy…he hated him.

_I'm not jealous. I'm not jealous. I am NOT jealous._

"Hiccup?"

"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Hiccup shouted at his table.

Fishlegs flinched in surprise. "I was just asking you if you wanted to join the next dragon race," the boy said carefully.

Hiccup flushed red in embarrassment. He coughed and composed himself. "No. But thank you Fishlegs and my apologies," he said politely.

Fishlegs nodded in acceptance. The other all smirked knowingly. He was so jealous.

"So Astrid who is that man you were standing with the other day?" Ulrik asked out of the blue.

Astrid stiffened in surprise. "Oh, uh that was just my friend Hiccup," she said casually.

"Hiccup? Hmmmm. I've never seen armor like his before. Do you know where he got it? And those swords of his were quite interesting," Ulrik said as he stroked his beard.

"Oh he traveled to a distant land and got them from the people there. I don't suppose you've heard of Japan?"

"Can't say I have…I he any good with them?" Ulrik asked curiously.

"I've never seen him get beaten so far," Astrid replied with a shrug.

"Hmm. Me and him should have a friendly duel sometime," Ulrik muttered to himself. "He wouldn't happen to be Hiccup the chief's son would he?"

"Yeah that's him."

"The one who trained the first dragon?"

"Same guy," she replied with a nod.

"What a peculiar lad," Ulrik said blankly.

The rest of the evening lapsed into small talk until dinner was over. Ulrik said goodnight before parting and making his way to his guest quarters. Astrid released a breath in relief to be free of him. She glanced around to see Hiccup making his way to the door. She followed after him.

Outside she caught up to him as he was walking to his house.

"Hey Hiccup," she greeted as she tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and she was met with a blank face. It made her heart sink.

"Hello Astrid," he said evenly.

"So…uhm, sorry we haven't been able to hang out for the last few days. Been busy and stuff," she tried to say lightly.

"Its fine," he replied with curt nod.

"So…I was thinking. Let's have a sparring match tomorrow," Astrid said. She just used that as an excuse to spend time with him.

"Aren't you busy?"

"Nah. Besides, I totally want to kick your butt," she said raising a fist up and giving him confident smile. To her delight a small smile formed and Hiccup's face.

"Alright then. Around midday?" he asked.

"Sure. See you then. And bring a mop for your blood," she added jokingly. Hiccup actually chuckled with her. It warmed her heart to see that. So with a final goodnight she went to her home. Looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

* * *

Hiccup stood in the middle of the kill ring with his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for Astrid. He felt like an idiot. He'd been waiting for hours…or it could've have been a few minutes. He didn't have a sun dial. And to be fair they said _around_ midday. So there was room for tardiness.

_Maybe she'd rather spend time with her future husband,_ he thought sourly. With a sigh he was contemplating leaving when he heard footstep at the entrance. He turned to see Astrid jogging in. She looked to be out of breath and slightly flushed from exertion.

"Sorry I'm late. My mom asked me to do something real quick. Did you wait long?" she said as she came up to him.

"No. Its fine," he said looking away. Astrid noticed this. She cocked her head to the side and stepped into his field of vision.

"Are you pouting Hiccup?" she asked.

"No," he said shortly. But his blush betrayed him.

"Aww. You are pouting. I said I was sorry," Astrid said giving him a sweet smile. Hiccup looked away and snorted. Astrid smiled, thinking it was cute that he was angry. She stepped into his line of sight again, "Please forgive me?" she asked with big eyes.

_Damn those big blue eyes,_ Hiccup cursed mentally. "Ok fine. I forgive you," he huffed out.

Astrid giggled at her victory. "Alright then, let's do this," she said as she raised her hands up and dropped into a battle stance. Hiccup smiled at her enthusiasm before dropping into his own battle stance.

And then they sparred. Throwing punches and kicks at each other as they laughed and smiled at every miss or block. Hiccup had to admit Astrid was getting a bit better with every session. The advantage Hiccup always had over Vikings is that he knew the way Vikings fought. He'd seen it his whole life. But they'd never seen the way he fought before. Thus he had an easier time predicting their attacks. But slowly Astrid was learning. She may even be an even match for him one day.

"So…Ulrik seems like a nice guy," Hiccup said to make casual conversation as he blocked a punch.

"He's ok. Good fighter," Astrid said casually. He tried to sweep his legs out from under him but he jumped before slamming his palm into her stomach, pushing her back.

"I bet. He is 'Unbeatable' after all," Hiccup said with sarcasm. Astrid chuckled before charging him. "So when is the wedding going to be?" Hiccup let slip as he dodged her punch.

Astrid stiffened in surprise. She sighed and shook her head. "There's not going to be one," she informed him. She watched as his eyes went wide in surprise. She capitalized on his distraction by tackling him to the floor. She pinned his arms above his head and leaned over him. "I was just spending time with him because he came all this way to meet me Hiccup. I was never going to marry him," she explained.

Hiccup absorbed this information before he reacted. He pushed back before rolling her over. They wrestled and lashed out at each other before Hiccup pinned her down, sitting on her chest with his feet holding down her hands. "Why not?" he asked cocking his head to the side.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Because I've known him for three days Hiccup. And I'd have to leave Berk if I married him. I would never do that," she said shaking her head.

Hiccup processed this information and his heart soared. "Oh," was all he said. Though he mentally cheered on the inside.

_Eat it Ulrik, _he thought to himself. Then he looked back down at Astrid and smiled. "Looks like I win," he said with a crooked grin. Astrid frowned and growled as she tried to push him off. But she couldn't get the leverage. With a huff she gave up.

"Yeah, yeah, now let me up. You weigh a ton." With a chuckle Hiccup removed herself from on top of her. Astrid rose and dusted herself off. She looked to Hiccup to see him smiling. "And what are you smiling at?" she said narrowing her eyes at him and placing her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," Hiccup said still smiling. He was just happy she wasn't going to get married. Maybe…just maybe…he still had his chance.

"Yeah right. I bet you're all like 'ha you lose again'. No modesty at all," Astrid frowned.

"It's false modesty to deny your skill," Hiccup said with a shrug.

"I hate you," Astrid said unconvincingly.

"No you don't," Hiccup said taking step toward her. She noticed his gaze was trained right on her. She blushed and looked away.

"Yes I do," she grumbled. But then her eyes went wide and she froze as Hiccup placed a hand on her cheek and turned her head back to him.

"I don't believe you," he said getting a little closer.

"Well it's the truth," Astrid shot back as she fought back the heat rising in her cheek and tried to will her knees to stop shaking.

"Look me in the eyes and say it," Hiccup said huskily. Astrid swallowed. Suddenly Hiccup began to move his face closer to hers.

"I…I…," Astrid stammered out softly.

Hiccup chuckled lightly as he locked onto his target. Her lips. He didn't know what he was doing. But it felt right. He leaned in as his eyes began to close.

Astrid swallowed and licked her lips as he got closer.

_Please Freyja and Odin and whatever god is listening, let him kiss me,_ Astrid thought in prayer. She began to close her eyes as he got closer.

"Astrid!" came the voice of her father from outside the ring.

The pair's eyes flew open. They both released a disappointed breath before Hiccup took a step back. They turned to see Astrid's parents and Ulrik walking into the arena. Hiccup frowned at the sight of Ulrik. When the group reached them they looked them over.

"Hiccup," Astrid's father said with a nod.

"Mr. Hofferson," Hiccup replied respectfully with a nod and a bow.

"Ah. So you're Hiccup then?" Ulrik said looking him up and down. He stepped forward before offering his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said with a friendly smile.

Hiccup eyed the hand before extending his own. "Likewise," he said shortly.

"So mom, dad," Astrid said looking to her parents. "Did you guys want something?" she asked.

Astrid's father smiled. "Oh yes. We came to talk about you and Ulrik."

"I'm going to," Hiccup said as he turned to leave. This obviously wasn't a talk meant for him.

Astrid gave a gusty sigh. "Yeah about that dad. Ulrik is nice and all but—,"

"We've agreed on a marriage contract for you two," her father said cutting her off. He didn't even hear what she'd been saying.

"WHAT!?" Astrid and her mother cried in unison.

"Agmund! We said we'd let Astrid decide," her mother cried in shock.

Agmund shrugged. "I don't see he problem. You two get along. I've seen the way you are when you're together."

"Yeah but I don't want to marry him," Astrid blurted out. She stiffened at her words before looking to Ulrik apologetically. She took a breath to calm herself, trying to reel in her temper. "Look Ulrik, you're a nice man, and I think we can be great friends…but I don't want to marry you," she said to try and reason with him.

Ulrik held her gaze before sighing. "Sorry to hear you say that Astrid. But I didn't come all this way to make a friend," he replied.

Astrid narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "So that's it then? You want me and that's all there is to it? You don't care at all about what I want?

"Am I really so bad? We seem to get along. Do you think I'm repulsive? Am I so terrible that marrying me is so unreasonable?" he asked rolling his eyes.

"That's not the point. It my life, and I want to be able to live and choose who I want to be with," Astrid shot back at him.

She and Ulrik held each other's gaze. He looked at her like she was being a spoiled brat. Like she was somehow wrong for wanting to make her own decisions.

"I'm doing this for you Astrid," her father suddenly piped in. She looked at him incredulously. "I saw what nearly happened to you the night the Vandals attacked. You would've been taken," he said grimly. She flushed slightly at the memory. She opened her mouth to retort when her father spoke. "Ulrik here is unbeatable. He would protect you in these uncertain times. And I'll do what I think is best for you," her father said with conviction.

"But dad," Astrid said in frustration.

"Now enough Astrid. Ulrik is a good man and has more than enough for the bride price. I see no reason to deny him your hand," her father said firmly.

Astrid couldn't think of anything to say. She could say no. Bu to go against her father like that could mean being disowned. That would mean shame and bringing dishonor to her clan. Her heart clenched as she felt helplessness overwhelm her. There was nothing she can do.

"Unbeatable is a little haughty don't you think?" came a familiar voice. Everyone turned to see Hiccup was still there. He apparently hadn't left.

"Excuse me?" Ulrik asked raising an eyebrow. Hiccup was obviously talking to him.

"No one is unbeatable," Hiccup said as he held Ulrik's gaze and took a deliberate step towards him. Ulrik turned to fully face him. Sizing him up.

"I am. No one has ever beaten me. Never even come close," Ulrik said firmly.

"Not yet," Hiccup shot back. His tone is firm and hard. Almost challenging.

"Oh?" Ulrik said as he took step toward him.

"I could beat you," Hiccup asserted confidently.

"Oh really? Care to prove that?" Ulrik challenged as he put a hand on the hilt of his long sword.

"Sure, how about tomorrow? In front of the whole village?"

"Why wait?"

"I'm a little tired after my sparring session with Astrid. I could use some rest," Hiccup said casually with a shrug. "But let's make it interesting," he added.

"I'm listening."

"If I win you call off the marriage contract and go home," Hiccup states.

"And why would I do that?" Ulrik asked curiously. "What does she mean to you?" he asked gesturing to Astrid.

"She's a good friend. So as a concerned friend I want to make sure she gets only the best. So about it Ulrik? Or maybe you're afraid you'll lose," Hiccup said with a smirk.

Ulrik growled as he loomed over Hiccup, glaring down at him. "Fine. But if I win, not only do I get Astrid, but you give me those swords of yours," Ulrik added.

Hiccup glared and placed a hilt on his Katana. They meant a lot to him. To lose them would be a dishonor. A permanent stain. And it would be spitting in the face of Daichi and his friends in Japan. But he's come this far. He can't back down.

"Deal. Tomorrow. Midday. No armor. One sword each," Hiccup propositioned.

"Agreed," Ulrik said with a firm nod.

Then the two men stared each other down. Sizing up their opponent. And all the while Astrid stared wide eyed at Hiccup. She's never seen him so challenging before. She kind of liked it.

She didn't know how the duel would go. But she knew one thing.

She desperately hoped he would win.

* * *

**New chapter. It's on. Feel free to review**


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